


Rebirth

by knifecrew



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:08:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 85,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26073178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knifecrew/pseuds/knifecrew
Summary: This is a very old story I never finished. It has been forgotten, found again, edited--long story short, it's been through the ringer. Any and all comments and criticism are welcome. I just wanted to share this again because it is near and dear to my long forgotten teenage heart.Summary: Sephiroth has been taken care of not once, but twice, and things haven't worked out the way Cloud Strife imagined they would even after the fact. Sometimes, things just aren't always as they seem.Disclaimer: This does not take the remake into account as it is not yet complete. It was written with the intention of being an alternate universe within the canonical storyline.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 52
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

Present Day

Located deep within the bowels of the newly added wing to the compound, a handful of nurses and doctors in scrubs and white lab coats stood awaiting further order. Only one man stood out from everyone else. He lingered near the corner of the room in his pressed three-piece suit, watching the green line pulse across the screen. He swallowed a thick lump down his throat; his Adam’s apple bobbed behind the rigid knot in his tie. This man had been instrumental in bringing another back to life.

“Go ahead,” said the doctor from behind his face mask.

The nurse on the other side of the bed flipped a switch on the machine near the bedside and it whirred noisily at first before fading to a dull hum. They wouldn’t know for sure whether their efforts would prove successful, but the initial reading off the screen indicated progress.

"Vitals are stable," the nurse in charge of the machine declared. She glanced over her shoulder at the doctor, waiting for his response.

The doctor uncrossed his arms. “Alright.” Another nurse behind him recorded every piece of information coming off the screen. There was a lot. "Let's bring him out, but let’s take our time. I don’t want to rush this.”

Success - after such a long time, enduring so much adversity, trying and failing. No more. No more.

The steady beeps of the EKG machine showed a rhythmic and mostly strong heartbeat. One nurse adjusted the pulse oximeter, moved the cord aside when a tremor ran through the patient’s hand and into his fingers. They had already removed the intubation tube the day before when it seemed the man could breathe on his own. Still, the nurse adjusted the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. It was there for precaution.

The doctor’s eyes creased; the only visible expression behind his mask. "Congratulations,” he said. “This one is a keeper." He turned to the man in the suit who met his wide-eyed gaze. “Contact the president. He’ll want to know about this.”

The suited man nodded and spun on his heels headed out of the hospital room. His polished wing-tips clicked against the pristine white floor tiles. He pulled his cell phone out of his breast pocket and made the phone call he had been dreading for some time now.

“It’s happened,” said the suited man. “He’s coming out of it.”

“Is that true?” the voice on the other end asked.

“Yes. I need you to meet me at headquarters before we make the call. You’ll need to see this.” The suited man ended the call and slipped his phone back into his breast pocket. 

~

Two Year Ago

His cell phone chirped noisily in his ear on the nightstand beside the bed. Though half asleep, from the depths of a pleasant dream, he batted aimlessly in search of the racket and answered without knocking anything over. "Yes?" grumbled Reeve, not trying to sound the least bit awake.

"Mr. Reiben has requested for your presence, Mr. Tuesti," said the man on the other line. It was probably an assistant to the vice president working after hours. Very few people had his personal number. Those who did typically used it only in times of emergency. "He says he would like to meet you at headquarters right away."

"Can't it wait?" griped Reeve, voice husky with sleep. He was finding it hard to stay awake having caught a glimpse at the time—3:14 AM, but he rolled onto his back anyway and rubbed his tired eyes.

"N-no, sir. He says it's urgent."

Reeve let out a heavy sigh as he pushed himself upright and leaned against the headboard. "All right. Tell him I'll be there as soon as I can." He ended the call and set his phone aside for the moment, giving himself more time to wake up before he rolled out of bed.

They rendezvoused half an hour later in the lobby on the first floor instead of his office. Reiben led them to a private conference room where no prying ears could eavesdrop. Though just after four at that point and still pitch black outside, there was always someone in the building: a janitor, security officers, dedicated employees hard at work—the building never slept.

"What is so important that I had to be called out of bed before the sun has even crested over the horizon?" a still rather drowsy, noticeably irritated, Reeve asked.

Sao Reiben was just as tall as Reeve but with shorter, blonder hair combed back neatly. Not one strand stuck from his head, which was impressive given the time of day. Hand-picked by Reeve himself, Reiben shared the same detest for Shinra company in its prime, but the man was powerless to do anything about it under Rufus’s father’s reign. That was until things fell into complete chaos and the mega-corporation lost its iron grip on every nook and cranny it could get its grubby hands on. It was why Reeve wanted the man by his side, the man who had been his subordinate and loyal follower every step of the way.

Reiben shut the door behind them and turned to face his superior. “There've been talks lately, as you're already aware, about Rufus's role here and where he fits among the restoration of this company and the city. It is that the board is... leaning in favor of dismissing him from his current position almost entirely."

Reeve frowned. "What? I thought they weren’t going to bring that to the table. What prompted this?"

"They're afraid of what the citizens might do given his intentions to rebuild Shinra. There’s a deep-seated hatred for his father and ultimately him by relation. Rufus knows it. The board knows it. The board especially knows it. Any profitable company that wants to sustain itself for a lengthy period has to answer to more than its shareholders at some point. No one trusts Rufus and I don’t blame them, even after he tried to make up for it with Edge. They want him out before there's any more of a chance to promise one thing and do another. If the people turn on the company, then the board will go down with him. It was unanimous - there's no doubt they want him gone."

Reeve stood slack-jawed and wide-eyed, desperately trying to process the information. It was a shock, and a blessing rolled into one. For the owner of his own company to be ousted from his position seemed outrageous, but the Shinra name had nearly shot itself in the foot given how sizable the company had grown over the years. The bigger you get the harder you fall, they say.

"So," Reeve said slowly, reiterating for his own sake. "Let's say, whenever they meet again to take the vote, Rufus is ousted and the company no longer has a president. Who exactly do they have in mind to take his place?"

"Well..." The concern on Reiben's face soon turned to a smirk. There had been other news. "After reviewing a few qualified candidates, they've narrowed it down - you, being one of the very few."

"Me?"

Before he could say anything more, Reiben interjected. "Isn't that great? All your hard work has finally paid off! They're really considering you."

Reeve stumbled to a chair and fell back when his knees grew weak, grew shaky. He looked up at Reiben and flashed him a crooked smirk. A sparkle of excitement glimmered brightly in his eyes. “That’s amazing,” was all he could think to say.

“It’s not set in stone, but I can tell you right now that they think you’re the best candidate to tackle their vision: a new Midgar, an entirely unique city better than the original concept. Maybe not that neo-Midgar rubbish Scarlet and the rest of them practically fawned over, but the city you hoped Midgar would become. It’s taken this long for them to realize, if they want to weather the economic shitstorm we’re in now, they better instill someone who can both help the company grow and balance that out with a little compassion.”

Turns out the near obliteration of the entire world and fall of one of the biggest cities on the planet did much more damage to the profitable future than they thought. Even a few years after they had rebuilt the city, after enough time under their belts, things still looked grim.

“What more can I do for Edge?” Reeve asked. “They rejected my plans before. What makes them think I can change things sitting in the president’s office? I have no experience leading a company this size, or any company for that matter.”

“They think you can do it and that’s all that matters,” Reiben said. “Why question it?”

Reeve propped his elbow against the long table and let out a heavy sigh. He muttered, “I suppose.” Maybe missing out on that sleep thing had messed with him more than he thought, but he was awake now and the news would keep him awake more than likely after bedtime.

“What happened in the span of the last fifteen seconds? You were so excited to hear they were thinking about you,” Reiben pointed out. “Now you’re second guessing them.”

Reeve lifted his head and stared at the suited man. Reiben always dressed professionally, and that hadn’t changed even well past midnight. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be questioning it. If that’s what they want then I’ll gladly step into that role. And if they insist on running things the way President Shinra or Rufus did, then I can always just... step down. I suppose you could say they reminded me of where we came from. I’m sorry about that. Force of habit.”

Reiben crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t have to tell me.”

Reeve stood from the chair and glanced around the room. “Now that I’m here, I might as well get some business in order.”

“Wait, what? No.” Reiben shook his head. “You’re going home. I’ll have my car take you there. I know calling and waking you from your sleep was drastic, but we couldn’t discuss it over the phone.” Reiben opened the door to the conference room and ushered Reeve out first. He called for his car to come around to the front. By the time they stepped out of the main entry doors, a dark black sedan had stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Reiben turned to Reeve where they paused at the back passenger door. “Go home, get some rest. Come in a little later than usual if you’d like, too. I’ll take care of everything until your meetings begin.”

Reeve hesitated to slip into the back of the car. He stared at Reiben, searched the man’s face for any sign that this wasn’t a dream. “You’re right,” Reeve said, and he opened the back door to slip into the car. 

Reiben leaned down before Reeve could shut the door. “Things will work out,” he told him as he watched Reeve buckle his belt. “Have a little faith.”

Reeve gave the man a tight, thin-lipped smile. “Goodnight, Sao. Or should I say good morning?” He reached for the arm on the door and shut it. The car took off seconds later, merging into traffic from the wrap around driveway.  


~

Present

Cold. Everything was cold. He'd woken up so fast that it was hard to tell whether he was still asleep. After a few moments, Cloud found his breath again and sat focusing on the rapid beating of his heart. It hammered in his chest like it might burst clean through. Another few minutes and it would settle to a steady rhythm, but he focused on his breath anyway. The one thing he absolutely did not want, however, was to wake the woman sleeping peacefully beside him. Though Cloud found it hard to keep his composure when such nightmares plagued his dreams, he calmed down enough to slip out of bed and onto the balcony.

Cloud leaned against the railing and closed his eyes as the wind blew softly against his clammy skin. He was burning up still. A thin film of sweat covered his entire body, so it felt nice in the cool early morning air. Everything else around him was quiet, tranquil. The only noises he could make out were a car or two passing by out front. 

At four in the morning, the city was fairly desolate and he preferred it that way. So many people had left Midgar after it fell. Some had gone elsewhere, some had made the short move to Edge. Without a home to go to after Shinra had dropped the plate, they had embraced a nomadic lifestyle for sometime. And when Edge City went into construction, it seemed as though they might have a chance at settling down again. They rebuilt the Seventh Heaven, as Tifa had planned. Cloud even lended a hand, or did as much as he could knowing he had promised--somewhat jokingly--that he would help make her a new one at a price. It ended up being his home as well for a time, but did not remain that way. He had his own place not far from the bar and yet he still found himself in her room, in her bed. It helped with the sleepless nights sometimes.

The cool wind over his sweat-slicked skin turned to goosebumps. They lingered as he noticed the ache in his chest. It was always like this: wake up in a panic, come onto the balcony, and remember him. Remember them. 

He felt a slender hand slip over his shoulder, prompting him to stand up straight and face her. Cloud could see her red eyes clear as day even in the darkness. "Again?" murmured Tifa. Her brow furrowed together with worry for him. Perhaps her presence didn’t help as much as he once thought.

"Sorry," Cloud mumbled.

"It's okay." She closed her eyes and let her hand slip down his arm, feeling his sinewy muscles. Tifa leaned against Cloud’s back, pressed her cheek against his shoulder blade. "Want to talk about it?" He rarely did, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

"Just the usual," he said with a sigh. Acknowledge the dreams hadn’t gone entirely yet, deny there was anything wrong, rinse and repeat. Compared to two years ago, this was progress.

"Are you sure? They seem worse lately.” Tifa gently squeezed Cloud’s hand, her grip firm but gentle. She had expressed her concern over his restless nights when he was there, but often missed out on the full experience now that they weren’t in the same bed each night. It was always easier to hide it when he was awake, despite having made progress after everything, after Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz. After Sephiroth, yet again.

She wasn’t entirely wrong. The dreams had been getting worse. He often went about his day on three or four hours of sleep. Sometimes the dreams were about Zack. Sometimes he dreamed of Aerith. There was never any rhyme or reason to them, even after everything he had done to search for forgiveness. He recalled it as if she were standing in that church in Sector 5, and Zack, too, right behind her but he had never told Tifa that. He would never explain that, as often as he dreamed of Zack and Aerith, he dreamed of Sephiroth just as much.

"I'll be fine,” Cloud said, pushing away from the balcony railing. He leaned in and kissed the side of her head, silently willing it to be true. The good news was that he would be back to work soon, away from the bar, from Marlene, Denzel and Tifa. Not that he didn’t want to be around them, but keeping busy helped tremendously to distract from his racing thoughts. Cloud would often end the day too exhausted to think of anything and slept nearly a full night. 

Tifa followed him back inside the bedroom but sat on the side of the bed instead of crawling under the blanket. They had tried, at one point, being together. Things seemed to be good between them for months and then the dreams came back and he found himself preoccupied not just in work but in his mind. One minute she would be talking and the next thing he knew she was staring, waiting for him to rejoin them back on the planet.

He didn’t want to do that to her. Couldn’t keep Tifa waiting on edge for some sense of normalcy only to rush off when the military needed his expertise. As much as Cloud loved Tifa for putting up with him, for loving him back despite his imperfections, he couldn’t hurt her like he knew he was doing and she didn’t insist they try again. Whatever happened between them was just that. If he ended up in her bed, she wouldn’t complain. If they hadn’t touched or kissed in months, she wouldn’t beg and plead for more. She respected him and his ongoing struggle and he thanked her for it.

“Try to get some rest,” Tifa said softly, reaching out to take a piece of his hair in between her fingers. It stuck up like that even after a night of tossing and turning. “You only have a few hours left before you need to leave.”

Cloud stared at her through the darkness. As much as he wished he could will himself back to sleep, he figured it wouldn’t amount to more than an hour at most. Tifa pulled the cover up and slipped under it, pressed against Cloud’s side. He didn’t push her away, just wrapped his arm around her and settled when Tifa relaxed her head against his bicep. In one rare, spectacular moment, Cloud closed his eyes and drifted to sleep seconds later. 

He slept until daybreak and even woke after Tifa. Cloud climbed out of bed and stretched, ran his hand through his tousled hair on his way to the bathroom. A quick shower and he dressed in his a fresh set of clothes, having ditched the all black ensemble for something less befitting of a general and something a little more practical. One could call it a rebellion, of sorts. He wasn’t anyone’s hero. He didn’t want to be. He simply did what he had to do.

The sound of voices downstairs let him know that everyone else was awake. Tifa smiled at him as he joined them.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Tifa set Marlene’s breakfast in front of the little girl who wasn’t so little anymore. She had grown since the first time they had met, since the last time everyone had come together to handle the last threat. Denzel had gotten bigger, too. They both smiled at him, wished him a good morning, and dove into their food. 

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” Cloud asked now that the children’s attention was on their stomachs. 

“You needed the rest.” She said it with such simplicity that it was hard to protest. “I took care of everything else so you don’t have to worry about anything other than getting out of here.” Tifa moved behind the bar to clean off the mugs she had just washed. “By the way, Cid called last night and said he would be in town later today. I told him you wouldn’t be at the bar, but he said he might stop by later.”

Cloud leaned against the cool wood, watching Tifa move about. “Have you heard from anyone else?” 

Tifa shook her head. “Last I heard from anyone was Yuffie and that was about a month ago. She told me she would be here for what we planned and left it at that. It would be nice to hear from everyone, but I’m assuming they’ve just got a lot going on.” Tifa paused and leaned down across from him. “Aside from you and Barret, Cid is really the only one I get to see thanks to the delivery contract with Shinra.” She smirked, let out a snort. “Funny saying that.”

“You’re telling me.” Cloud’s phone chirped in his pocket. An alarm he had set reminded him it was time to go. He silenced it, but by then Marlene had jumped off her stool and scampered over to hug his leg. She looked up with her big brown eyes, begging him not to go. 

Cloud came down to her level onto one knee. “I’ll see you soon, all right? Both of you.” He looked up at Denzel who nodded. The young boy was a little better at goodbyes than Marlene and he didn’t require a hug, just a smile.

Neither did Tifa. She walked with him to his bike parked beside the bar in the alley and watched as Cloud climbed onto the beast of a motorcycle. “You be careful. I don’t want to have to come out there and save your backside.”

It was there but only slightly so. Cloud flashed her that subtle smirk he pulled every now and then. “I will.”

“Good.” She stepped back as Cloud turned the ignition and the machine roared to life. He made sure his blades were secure before giving her a knowing look, before he leaned into the bike and roared out of the alley onto the main road.

~

Not far from the outskirts of Edge, Shinra's military headquarters sat in a vast panorama of sand and sky. The building was enormous considering its purpose. And being the only one still standing on the way to the ruins of Midgar made it stick out like a sore thumb.

Cloud pulled into the area marked off as parking and took only one sword from the arsenal with him: the Buster Sword that proudly hung from his back. Everyone greeted him with salutes, as expected of the rank he held. It still felt uncomfortable after all this time to be called acting General no matter how temporary the position.

When Reeve asked him to take on the rank some months ago, Cloud laughed. He laughed a genuine exhale of breath and then frowned when Reeve didn’t laugh with him. If someone had told him even a year prior to that he would work again under the likes of Shinra, Cloud would have brushed off the claim as a joke, but things were different now and Rufus barely had anything to do with the company. Reeve ran the show. He did a fine job with it, too, and he was the only reason Cloud had agreed to the position. The temporary bit had been Cloud’s stipulation, at least until Reeve could find or train someone up to standard. So far, no one had met that requirement.

Cloud made his way into the front entrance through the lobby at a quick pace. Most everyone went about their business, as was his preference, but now and then someone would nod or salute out of respect. As he moved through the building with purpose in his gait, Cloud hoped he would make it to his office with no one stopping him. He got nearly all the way there before narrowly avoiding colliding with a young brunette SOLDIER first class who perked up when they locked eyes.

"Good to see you back, General.” The man beamed and saluted. 

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that.”

"Right." Seiver smirked. "I forgot. You're too humble to accept the title you've earned." The slightly taller man walked alongside Cloud when he moved again. "So, how are things on your first day back?"

“I only just got here and I’ve already run into a pain in the ass,” teased Cloud, though he said it with enough conviction that anyone who didn’t know him might have taken it as an insult. Seiver had trained under Cloud for the last eight months, however, and took the man’s direction with earnestness. His life depended on the training given the growing threats. It didn’t help that the young man reminded Cloud of Zack in some small way either. He couldn’t find it in himself to treat the man like he did the rest of the grunts.

"Very well, thanks for asking,” Seiver replied as if Cloud had asked the same question. It was rare that Cloud expressed any interest in anyone else’s personal lives, not out of disinterest more of an odd personality quirk. He would have taken the shirt off his back to help squeeze off a bleeding wound, which was just as admirable if not more so than wondering what meal a man had for dinner the night before. “The wife and kids were sad to see me go, as always.” Seiver had no children, no wife. The sentiment was not lost on Cloud as he gave a slight smirk. “All jokes aside, we’re getting more and more reports about infestations in the ruins of Midgar. They’re inching closer to the city and no one knows why, just that some citizens of Edge have spotted them on the outskirts of town now.”

It wasn't long before they reached his office where Cloud unlocked the door and strode inside. Seiver followed hot on his trail but remained lingering near the door. He watched Cloud remove his sword and lean it against the wall near the desk. "Do we have a team put together yet to investigate?” Cloud asked.

“One has been assembled, yes. They’ve been deployed to the site and have been there for quite some time already. I’ve got some paperwork en route in regards to everything that’s been compiled so far. You should expect them soon.”

Cloud rounded the desk, fingertips trailing over the hardwood. They brushed over a set of papers stacked neatly together that resembled the report Seiver mentioned. He lifted it for emphasis. “This report?”

“Well then, I’ll leave you to it,” Seiver said, giving Cloud a slight bow before leaving the General to his work.

~

Three hours of nothing but reading through the mass of papers and scrawling his signature and Cloud thought his hand would fall off. He tossed the pen onto the desk and leaned into his chair, stretching his back, his arms and his shoulders. He stretched his wrist and his fingers, too. They throbbed at that point. No one told him being in charge of the regiment he oversaw would be so boring. Had Reeve mentioned that part, Cloud might have downright declined the offer.

Cloud had one leg up on the desk when someone knocked on the door. He groaned and dropped his booted foot to the floor. "Come in,” he called out.

A sergeant appeared and raised his hand in a salute. "You have a visitor, sir."

Cloud stood from his chair, needing the blood to start pumping in his legs again. “Let them in.”

The man nodded, stepped back into the hall, and sent his visitor through. Whoever it was was better than those files. Any distraction Cloud could get he would take. At the very least, he could rest his weary eyes for a few minutes. The words were starting to blur into one big blob.

"You really gotta do somethin' about this," grumbled Cid on his way through the door, pointing with his thumb to the sergeant who saluted once more before taking his leave.

"Cid.” Cloud flashed the man that subtle smirk of his. He hadn’t seen the pilot in a few weeks, but like Tifa Cid said often dropped by during or after his deliveries. It made crossing paths easier since he was contracted with Shinra.

The pilot smirked, pulled the cigarette from in between his lips, and blew a puff of smoke off to the side. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Tifa told me you’d stop by, but I didn’t think it would be here. I figured you would visit the bar.”

"They’re unloading the delivery right now and it’s gonna take a few hours,” explained Cid. “‘Sides, I wanted to see the new office.” His blue eyes scanned the room. Now that Cid mentioned it, none of them had seen his office despite him having occupied it for almost a year. Not even Tifa had graced the room with her presence. “It’s fancy.”

Cloud rounded the front of his desk and leaned against it, crossed his arms over his chest while Cid made himself comfortable on the black leather couch. In front of the couch sat a mahogany coffee table with an ashtray, which Cid used to flick his ashes into.

"This place," Cid said, "is nice. They're treatin’ you good here, huh?"

Cloud shrugged. He hadn’t yet become accustomed to the luxury despite his tenure. He had some bookshelves with few books and trinkets, but nothing else even in the months of his employment. "It's all right, but I have to be honest, I miss the bar.”

Cid smirked and leaned forward. "I'll tell you what you're missin’." He barely finished his sentence before the spiky blond stopped him with a look. Cloud knew very well what Cid had in mind, and he missed Tifa, too. Cid was well aware, though, of their relationship or lack thereof. As much as he tried to keep it under wraps, there was no hiding the fact that their efforts were fruitless.

"Anyway,” continued Cloud, “I don't think it will be very busy this time. Maybe I can head home sooner rather than later.”

"Looks like you're already bein' put to work." Cid gestured towards the pile of paper.

"Yeah." Cloud sighed. "First hour back and they've got me signing papers."

The pilot let out a hearty laugh. "First hour back and it looks like you could use a drink." 

Cloud let out a soft snort of agreement as Cid shifted on the couch.

"You looking forward to the celebration next week?” asked Cid. Seventh Heaven had its anniversary coming up and Tifa insisted on throwing a party.

“Tifa’s been going on about it for the last month. It’ll be nice for her...for the kids and for Barret,” Cloud said.

“But not for you?” 

Cloud shrugged. 

“You did have a hand in helping them rebuild the place. From what I heard, the original Seventh Heaven was in a shithole anyway. No offense.”

“None taken.”

“Tifa might say differently, but judging from the pictures it looks like this version is an upgrade. I know all that sentimental bullshit can really cloud your idea of a thing, though. Have I ever told you about the first ship I built myself? It was a nightmare before I managed to put together the Tiny Bronco and the Highwind. Still loved that hunk of junk anyway ‘cause, you know...she was my first baby.”

Cloud nodded. “It wasn’t that bad. People really liked it when Midgar still stood.”

“You know, some of those divey bars can be just what you need.” Cid took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled. “Looks like they love the place now. She had at least a dozen people in there and was pouring over some resumes when I came in. Sounds like she’s looking to hire some help with how busy it’s been.”

“She works herself too hard.”

Cid laughed at that. “Look who’s talking.”

“That’s different,” mumbled Cloud.

“Is it?” Cid chuckled again, took another drag. “Anyway, I know she needs help with the celebration coming up. Can you imagine, all of us together again? When’s the last time we were all in the same room?”

About a year ago, Cloud thought, shortly after the illness had been rid of his body and the rest of the city as well. Everyone had gone their separate ways for some time. One would stop by when they had a free moment, but never again all together. “Been a while,” mused Cloud. Cid stared at the spikey blonde, but Cloud didn’t realize it until the silence in the room became entirely too noticeable. He cleared his throat and uncrossed his arms, rested his hands on the edge of the desk. “I doubt you came all the way out here just to chat. Was there something else you needed?”

“I did want to ask.” Cid shifted on the couch, pulled the cigarette from his mouth, and held it in between his fingers. “Have those monsters been breeding down there in the Midgar runs? I saw a huge pack of them on the main road when I flew over, looked like they were coming close to the outskirts of the city but I didn’t get a good look.” 

Cloud trusted Cid to keep tight-lipped about sensitive information. He trusted the man with his life given everything they had been through together, which was why it was easy to share what he knew about the confidential situation. “It says in the reports that some citizens have spotted them as close as the northwestern border of Edge. They’re growing in numbers according to the report and no one knows why. It’s just weird seeing them come closer to the city after all this time. There’s been little to no activity since...well, you know.”

“Any guesses on why they’re startin’ to get ballsy like that?” asked Cid.

Cloud shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. All we can do is take care of the ones stirring up rumors and maybe block off any possible ways of getting out of the ruins.”

“What, like... near Edge, or--?” 

“Seems better to block them inside Midgar,” Cloud said. “I don’t want to stir anything other than rumors. If we can nip it in the bud before they spread, then we’ll have less of a problem on our hands. And it’d be less nerve-wracking to see barriers there than right on your doorstep.”

“You gotta send men in there to do that, though. Is that safe?”

“We’ll see.” Cloud moved to the chair and sat down heavily. “I’m sending a team inside first to scope things out and take care of any lingering threats. If they can’t handle it…” He rubbed his eyes. They burned now, but he still had work to do. “Then we’ve got a much bigger problem on our hands. Maybe we’ll have to send out some heavy equipment. It’s too early to tell.”

Cid nodded, watched Cloud. The cogs in his mind turned over and over. “You know, if you need any help I’m just a phone call away.”

“I know that,” Cloud said, “and I appreciate the offer. I don’t want to risk putting anyone’s life in danger that I don’t need to.” Not until it was necessary. Reeve provided him everything he needed thus far. He hadn’t required anything other than trained manpower at this point and that was how he wished to keep it. 

“That’s nice of you, but seriously, let me know if you need a little aerial expertise.” Cid stood from the couch and snuffed his cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table. Smoke billowed into the air, leaving the lingering pungent scent of his signature brand. “As nice as it was to catch up, I should probably get going before those dimwits screw somethin' up and break my airship.”

Cloud stood, but Cid waved him down.

"I guess the next time we’ll see each other is at the celebration,” Cid said.

Cloud nodded. 

“Don’t work yourself too hard, ya hear? Tifa won’t put up with that.”

“She’ll never let me live it down.”

“If you ruin her party plans, you won’t hear the end of it.” Both men chuckled knowing that was the truth. “Right. I’ll see you soon.” And just like that Cid left the office, left Cloud alone with his lingering thoughts and remaining paperwork. Perhaps this time he could bore himself to sleep. At least then he could catch up on some rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Reeve sat in the chair at the end of the table, tapping a pen against the polished mahogany wood. By all accounts, his day had started well. His breakfast had been top notch that morning: a sufficient serving of two freshly baked muffins topped with onions and cabbage. A few thinly sliced pieces of smoked salmon sat under perfectly poached eggs. They had topped it off with a sprinkling of parsley, salt, and pepper and beside it sat a lemon wedge for added dimension to the dish. He had gotten through two delicious bites before his phone rang with an urgent message. They required his presence at headquarters. 

He glanced up at the man in the white lab coat, a man by the name of Professor Holt, accompanied by his assistant and another lead physician still in his scrubs. The news they had to share hit him like a freight train and Reeve sat struggling to process it. To his left sat Sao Reiben. The man sat in equally stunned silence, completely and utterly dumbfounded.

“How could you keep this from me for so long?” Reeve asked, finally breaking the drawn out silence.

“Forgive me, president,” said Professor Holt, “both for withholding the experiment from you and--”

Reeve held up his hand to stop the professor from speaking. “Don’t...don’t call it that. Please.”

Holt hesitated but continued. “Yes, sir. Of course.” He cleared a frog from his throat, licked his dry lips. “Withholding information about this endeavor was necessary at the time. Even before you came into your position, it was voted on that the information was too sensitive and any further exposure might lead to complications. You had only come into your position recently when the...when we were already knee deep into things, not to mention the indirect relation you have to the patient via his ties to Cloud Strife. I had no weight in the decision to withhold this knowledge from you, and the men who did are now gone, which is why I’m bringing it to your attention now. The men who made the decision have fallen back knowing that they can’t get away with things like this anymore now that Rufus isn’t in charge.”

“You say that but do you truly understand what this means?” Reeve set the pen down and sat forward, elbows on his knees. He gathered his racing thoughts but settled knowing this would take time to digest. “The relationship between those two…” Reeve winced. It was hard news to swallow and it felt like a sucker punch to the gut. He could only imagine what it would be like for Cloud to learn the truth about what had happened. Not only that, but he had to be the one to break the news. There was no way Reeve would let anyone else do it. It was his task and his task alone. “Their relationship is much more complicated than any of us probably understand. The things Cloud has told me--”

“If anyone understands, it is me, sir,” said the professor. “I have read through Hojo’s notes. I have seen the things he did to those boys and to the rest of his unfortunate test subjects. Gaia only knows what abominations still lurk in the underground tunnels below all those ruins. But this...this is different.” Holt scooted to the edge of his seat. “That we were able to pull off what we did after everything is nothing short of a miracle. What we’ve learned from this--” Reeve cut the professor off immediately. 

“Forgive me, Professor Holt, but I refuse to believe this is any kind of miracle.” Reeve stared at the men before him. His stomach twisted and turned, reacting to the memories of a time when things were out of his control, when he could hardly do his job much less right the wrongs that had befallen the people of Midgar. He stood from his chair, feeling like he needed to get the blood pumping in his legs again. “It doesn’t matter who was responsible for the decision back then. What matters is that I am in charge now. From here on out, I will approve all medical and scientific procedures unless it is deemed an emergency. Anything of the sort will be laid out in a document explaining the exact plans and hopeful outcome, and I promise I will scrutinize it from front to back before I give my consent.”

Holt stared. The two other men remained silent, waiting to see what the president would do next.

“I’d like to see his files from the beginning,” Reeve said after an achingly long moment of silence, if it was the last thing he left them with before he departed. “And I would like to meet him as soon as it is safe for me to do so.” With that, he stood from his seat and left them.

\--

Finished.

Everything was done. At least for now, Cloud could relax - or so he thought. Work never failed to fall into his lap. There was always another task to tackle, another chore to oversee or grunts to order around. A knock sounded at the door and he answered it himself, swinging the door open. Mostly it felt good to move his legs, to work his muscles. He wasn’t used to sitting at a desk like that. Much preferred being out in the field.

The sergeant took a step back when the door swung open. Seeing the irritated look on Cloud’s face must have startled him. “Forgive me, sir, but you have an urgent message from Seiver.”

“Yes, what is it?” Cloud let go of the doorknob and placed his hands on his hips.

"He needs you in his office right away.” Those sounded like Seiver’s words, not the sergeant’s. “He says there’s been some activity in the ruins you’ll want to see."

Cloud dropped his arms to his side and nodded. “Tell him I’ll be there shortly.” He gave the MP a head start and traversed the halls toward Seiver’s office a few minutes later. Cloud spotted the man sitting behind the desk with a small radio, leaning in and straining to hear. The SOLDIER glanced up only briefly, turning his gaze back to the receiver. “I just got a report from the ruins. They’ve engaged with one of the monsters."

Cloud stepped around and leaned against the desk to listen to the voice coming through the static. He asked, “Has there been anything else?”

"Yes. Whatever these monsters are...they attacked a man passing by in his vehicle. He said he thought he was far enough away that he would be safe, but they managed to catch up and ran him off the road. When he crashed, it pinned him inside the cab of the truck. Sounds like the monsters tried to get at him, but they couldn’t reach far enough inside. He’s damn lucky they couldn’t either. They probably would have ripped him to shreds.”

Cloud took a seat once he grabbed an empty chair. "Have we identified the species?”

"No, but the analysis report should arrive within the hour. They should be setting up their equipment right now. I'm just waiting for more word on the situation."

A moment of silence passed before either of them said anything. Before they could, the radio crackled to life. "...Sir...?"

"Go ahead, Major,” responded Seiver. 

"We've set up a station outside of the north-east section of the city. We’ve recovered the crash victim and impounded his vehicle for inspection. There are some deep claw marks in the metal I think you’ll want to see.”

“Have they spotted the monsters since then?” asked Seiver.

“Yes, sir. We sca--” The radio went out for a few seconds before the feed came back. “--sight. They wounded one of them a--” It cut out again. “--behind a trail of blood. I’ve had a sample gathered, though it isn’t much.”

"Good thinking.”

“Captain, this is General Strife,” announced Cloud. “What behaviors were the monsters exhibiting when you spotted them?”

“How do you mean, sir?” asked the soldier.

“Did they acknowledge you and your troops? Did anyone make eye contact? Were they communicating with each other?” What he really wanted to know was did they think like prey, but perhaps that information wouldn’t become clear for a time.

“General Strife, sir, I might not have that information for you right away, but…” The man paused and neither Cloud nor Seiver could tell if the radio had gone out or if the man was just thinking. When he continued, they knew. “There is one thing. It appears as though they were looking for something.”

Seiver frowned at Cloud in response to the major’s reply. "Looking for something?" he echoed.

"Yes, sir."

"How on Gaia can you have made that assumption?” Seiver Cloud asked. He refrained from posing that question to the Major in charge of the operation.

"We traced their tracks back to where we believe they originated from, but it appears they had disturbed some ruins on their way to the main road. Turned up some rubble where they wouldn’t have needed to turn anything over. Their path wasn’t blocked at all. I’ve compared it to the imagery we have of the area from only just a few weeks ago,” explained the major. 

Seiver hummed, grumbled, and glanced down at the desk. There was not much communication for the next few minutes. The only thing either of them could do was wait anxiously at the edge of their seats for something more. Since, from the office, their options were limited.

The radio crackled to life again. "Sir?"

"Yes?" responded Seiver.

"The monsters, there are more of them now."

"More? How many?"

"About five more. They've shifted toward the old Shinra HQ. It appears as if they're...trying to get inside."

Seiver glared skeptically at Cloud and asked, "What could they be looking for?"

"They can't get in there," Cloud said. "It's impossible. The entire building came down on top of itself. There are thousands and thousands of tons of concrete and metal and a lot more that would take even the most powerful excavators months to breech."

The sound of static echoed from the radio, but the signal cleared once the major continued. "They're burrowing through the wreckage."

"All right,” Seiver said. “Monitor their behavior and report back when you've got more information."

"Understood, sir."

When the SOLDIER turned his attention back to Cloud, he had already stood from the chair and was heading to the door. "Where are you going?" asked Seiver.

"To check it out myself."

"Wait, what? Why?” Seiver stood as well, but it took him a few more seconds to move his legs and follow. “I sent them out there already so you wouldn't have to!" But Cloud was already halfway down the hall, too far gone to stop.

\--

Cloud pulled up to the team of men he spotted in the distance near the Midgar ruins. His bike kicked up dirt as he slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop. He pulled his goggles off his eyes once the debris settled and slipped them into a pouch at the side of the rear wheel. The major he had spoken to on the radio rushed to greet him with a salute but Cloud waved it off. “What’s the status of the monsters?” Cloud’s eyes scanned the area. Not far off in the distance, the sound of a military truck engine roared down the road from where he had come. Seiver had followed, no doubt, with some other MPs and would join them shortly.

“General, sir, I was not expecting you here,” said the major.

“Nevermind that. I asked you a question.”

“Yes, sir.” The major walked toward a few makeshifts tents. “I’ve sent a small group of officers to inspect the open areas where the monsters might enter and exit the rubble. We’re assessing which option would be best to block them from escaping.”

“Good.” Cloud placed his hands on his hips, watching as everyone moved about with a job to do. The truck that had followed him parked closer to the tents and, sure enough, Seiver climbed down out of the passenger door and marched toward them.

“Can I speak to you a minute, General?” asked Seiver once the man caught up.

Cloud walked a fair distance away from the major and stopped to face the SOLDIER. He crossed his arms over his chest as if to say, ‘I’m listening’.

“You can’t just run off like that,” Seiver said, trying to keep his voice down. “The reason I sent these men out here was so that you wouldn’t have to. What’s the point of having grunts if you don’t use them?”

“These men are perfectly capable of doing the job,” agreed Cloud, “but sometimes it’s better to see for yourself.”

Seiver let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. He didn’t hide the fact that he was irritated. He just kept it to himself for appearances. “Just...promise me you won’t go in their gung-ho and get yourself into a rut. This isn’t a replay of back then, you know. It’s not the first time we’ve had monsters creep up into the ruins.”

Cloud winced inwardly at the dig. Maybe it wasn’t a dig in the first place, but Seiver did not usually bring up Cloud’s past. They did consider him a hero, however, given how hard he had fought to stop Sephiroth. Some lowly MP, no stronger than your average grunt, had--not once, but twice--taken on the biggest threat and come out the victor. It was hard for Cloud to accept at first, but he had taken it upon himself to handle both situations, along with the help of friends, to restore peace, to take back his sanity.

Cloud uncrossed his arms and sighed. “I’ll try not to get in too deep.” He made his way back to the major who stood exactly where they had left him, waiting.

The major hesitated a moment while Seiver caught up but led them to a tent, out of the relentless heat of the desert and much to Cloud’s relief. He’d never been fond of the warmer weather down in the valley but put up with it considering how much money was to be made there. He rounded a table and pressed the screen of a map of the ruins. If one did not understand what they were looking at, it would have seemed a jumbled mess, but Cloud was familiar with the wreckage and could pinpoint every sector, every plate, every half-standing reactor that survived the collapse.

“Most of the heat sources gather here.” The major pointed to the middle of the map where Shinra HQ once stood. Cloud and Seiver stood on the other side, staring down as the major moved his finger this way and that. “They will roam the perimeter, but only as what we assume is a sort of scouting party. Any other activity is focused on this one spot here, to the northeast of where the building used to stand.”

Hojo’s laboratory once resided on that side, but since no one knew how the rubble had fallen it seemed a pointless endeavor to guess the state of things. Cloud kept that to himself and followed along. Not ten minutes after their arrival, however, the sound of boots scraping against the dirt and men shouting orders interrupted their conversation. All three of them rushed out of the tent to find two officers carrying another, practically dragging the man; the tips of his boots left a trail in the dirt.

“What happened?” Cloud asked, walking alongside them as they brought the man to a makeshift medical tent.

The more senior officer responded. “We engaged with one of the creatures near the eastern entry point. Seems they were waiting to ambush us.”

“Ambush?” echoed Cloud.

“Yes, sir,” the officer replied. He helped hoist the injured man onto a cot and watched as a medic rushed to treat the gash on his upper thigh. Whatever caught him had long talons, sharp and precise. It had cut at least an inch through his pants and into the flesh, through muscle. “They attacked from the side, one after the other. We injured two of them but they ran off before we could eliminate them entirely. I think there were three.”

Cloud frowned down at the injured officer, pursed his lips. He was silent for a long while before turning to the major. “I’m going in there. And I want four of your best SOLDIERS to accompany me.”

“Cloud, wait a minute,” Seiver said, finally interjecting when it seemed the general’s rationale might be compromised. “We don’t know what these creatures are or what they’re capable of. They’ve already injured a civilian and one of our men. For you to put yourself in harm's way just to check things out yourself is…”

“I agree,” said the major. “It’s too risky. I should go out there instead. We’ll take a few more men this time.”

Cloud turned on his heels out of the tent and moved toward his bike with the two men hot on his trail. “I’m going inside with a group of men and there will be no other questions about it.” He instructed the major to arrange four of them to meet him near the entry into the ruins and the man obeyed, but Seiver followed Cloud to his bike.

“You shouldn’t do this,” Seiver said, a far cry from the playful nature of their early morning meeting.

“If it gets too dangerous, we’ll retreat and leave it at that until we can figure something else out. I only need to see them myself.”

“Can you not wait for satellite imagery? A few hours, at most. Maybe a day and we’ll have something more substantial. The ones we know of are too deep into the ruins to get a safe look at. But if we’re wrong and there’s a lot more closer than we think--” 

“Then I’ll find that out when we get inside,” Cloud said. He pulled his sword off his back and leaned it against his bike. “I’m going in there and I’m going to find out for myself what we’re up against. You will stay back and man this outpost until we return.”

Cloud fixed onto his sword his most powerful materia—a mixture of sorts to prepare as much as he could for the unknown—and met the men at the entry point as per his request. Seiver accepted he wouldn’t get through to the general but followed Cloud to the entry point where they went over the tentative plan he had come up with on the walk back from his bike. Cloud could feel the tension weighing heavily among them and even felt it tug in his own gut. Despite being professionally trained military personnel, venturing blindly into a situation they didn’t fully understand did give Cloud cause for concern.

He scanned the entry point with keen eyes knowing the others would do the same. The wind kicked up and blew dust and debris at them, but nothing jumped out just yet. They moved deeper and deeper down what looked to have once been a main road and still there was nothing. Even fifteen minutes in on foot proved uneventful. He stopped at a corner he did not entirely recognize and motioned for the officers to stop, to take a defensive position while they waited to get their bearings.

“There’s no way we’re getting anywhere close to that rubble,” Cloud said to himself, speaking of the old Shinra HQ. He turned to face the men, opened his mouth again, but lost the words when a dark blur leapt from behind a massive collapsed wall and pounced onto an officer like he was a ragdoll. As lightning quick as the creature appeared, Cloud pressed forward and swiped at the thing with his Buster Sword. It dodged him at first, rolling almost out of the way. The tip of the general’s sword nicked its back leg. Deep red blood, almost black in color, splattered over the dusty concrete from the deep wound. 

Cloud was relentless in his attack, having recalled his first encounter with the creatures. He’d seen them before some years ago in the underground tunnels, but he had not crossed paths with one for years. However, a single creature was one story. He could easily dispatch a single monster, but multiple was another.

The creature’s head rolled over the smattering of blood and settled against the wall it had leapt from behind. Cloud gave his sword a swipe and the blood flew right off. “Get him out of here,” Cloud said as the other uninjured officers hoisted the man off the ground.

“But sir,” one man started, “there are only three of us uninjured--”

Cloud interrupted. “It’s too dangerous. I’ll go on myself.”

“Sir, forgive me, sir, but Seiver requested that I make sure you do not do that.” The SOLDIER gripped the handle of his sword, familiar with the weapon, comfortable with it though not comfortable with threatening a superior officer. Cloud could see the way the man gripped the pommel, sure of its handling, and yet unsure of how he would use it. Would he use it on him, though? 

Cloud narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to stop me?”

The officer hesitated, swallowed thickly. Cloud could see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. “With whatever means necessary.”

They didn’t break eye contact for a few seconds, not until Cloud pulled his gaze away and glanced down the road where it continued to some large piles of rubble that used to be buildings. The stability of the ruins up to that point posed little threat to him. Knowing what the creatures were would make dealing with them easier, but even Cloud knew he couldn’t take care of them all on his own. What would Tifa say if he got hurt or worse? After all these years, if he swept in there on pure bravado, what would he think of himself? 

Cloud relented. He followed the officers back the way they came and spotted the confusion on Seiver’s face even from a far distance. “General, sir.” Two men carried the injured one back into the makeshift medical tent. Fortunately for him, he had only a badly bruised back and perhaps a concussion thanks to Cloud’s swift response. Nothing a few days out of commission couldn’t fix. “What happened? You weren’t in there for long.”

“It’s too dangerous. Seal the entry points, anywhere the creatures could find it easy to escape,” Cloud said as he marched toward the first tent. “Once that’s done, we’ll head back to HQ and re-examine the situation. For now, I want all routes closed off and monitored. If we can’t stop them completely, we can at least keep track of their movements.”

The major snapped his heels together and saluted, “Yes, sir!” before rushing off to take care of his orders. Seiver lingered, though.

Cloud pulled his phone out. “I need to make a call,” he said as he stared at the man, waiting for him to take the hint. It wasn’t long before Seiver nodded and left Cloud to his lonesome. Once on his own, Cloud dialed Reeve’s number. It rang a few times before the man answered.

“Cloud. You rarely call me yourself,” Reeve said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m at the ruins right now, taking care of the creatures that were spotted there. The man attacked by those monsters will live but the situation might be hairier than we first thought.”

Reeve’s chair squeaked as he leaned back into it. “What do you mean by that?”

“Two officers were attacked in the span of an hour. Alone, the monsters aren’t much of a threat, but get them into a group and it would rip those men to shreds.” He gathered his thoughts and gazed at the light shining through the tent flaps, watching shadows dance back and forth as men moved this way and that. “Even if we block any escape routes, there’s no doubt they’ll try to find another way out. It’s just putting a bandaid on a knife wound. If they keep cropping up like they have been lately, it’ll be too much to handle.”

“What are you suggesting we do, then?” Reeve asked.

“Take care of them from the inside,” Cloud said. “We could get rid of the ones we can see on top of the ruins and keep an eye on anything coming from down below.”

He could see the way Reeve winced, the way the president brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Reeve did that when he was frustrated and thinking of a way out of such a mess. “Is that not risky? It sounds as though you’re already facing danger just by stepping foot into the ruins.”

“Eliminating them won’t be a problem. We could assault them from above. It might disturb the ruins, but it’s not like it’s inhabited any longer. The problem is that the monsters might find another way from underground again. I doubt the tunnels and the labs are as lifeless as they seemed when the city fell.”

“And with them inching closer to Edge, who knows what they might do.”

“Exactly. I think we should get rid of what we can see first. Take care of the immediate threat first, and then once we have a plan to head down under, we’ll go from there. An aerial assault might buy us a few days to a week, maybe. We could see how fast they’re multiplying and base the assumption on that.”

“It seems like you’ve already got a plan,” Reeve said, “but do you think going underground is a good idea? You’ve been down there before and nothing good has come from it.”

“It’s the only way to get rid of them for certain. It’ll be a big task and will require lots of manpower, most likely.”

“It’ll also take a lot of time to coordinate,” Reeve said. “And if we don’t have much time--what then?”

“Then I head down there myself and see what I can do.” Cloud was only half kidding about that. He knew he couldn’t take them all on himself, but the thought crossed his mind.

Reeve chuckled. “Always the hero.”

Cloud snorted under his breath. Many people had called him a hero, though he refused to accept the label. A grunt, a mercenary, a friend—never a hero. “I’ll draft up the plans and run them by you.”

“You don’t need to do that, Cloud,” Reeve said. “I trust your judgement. Besides, if I had to oversee every little de--” Reeve paused and Cloud waited for a response. It took a few seconds to get one.

“Reeve?”

“Y-yes, I’m here. Sorry about that. Listen, I know you’re quite busy at the moment, but there is something I want to talk to you about at some point.” The line was quiet on the other end as Cloud listened. “Not now. Not right away, but after you get back, maybe. I’ll reach out to you when I know the job is taken care of. Until then, keep safe. Do what you need to protect yourselves and the city. The last thing we need is another threat to our lives.”

“Understood,” Cloud said, and the call ended after they exchanged niceties.

He set the cell phone on the table knowing he would use it again. Now that Cloud knew what he would be up against, he would have to tell Tifa about his plans and how long they would take to execute. Perhaps he had been premature in saying he didn’t think it would be busy this time around. He just hoped he would be done in time for the celebration.

Cloud sighed, grabbed the phone, and hit Tifa’s number. She didn’t answer this time. It went straight to voicemail, but he figured she was busy manning the bar and would get back to him when she had a moment. Instead of lingering away from the action, Cloud made his way back to the tents to get on with it.


	3. Chapter 3

The dreams he had were unlike any he remembered.

They told him his brain needed time to rewire itself, to get used to functioning at a normal capacity, and that it might take months to years to fully recover--if ever. The last part scared him. There were times, even, when he would sit and stare at his hands and wonder if he really was there, if he was back among the living in this new world he had missed out on.

That certainly became the case when they tested his reflexes, when they tested his brain’s ability to process the outside world through its sensory organs. The doctors poked, prodded, pinched, gently tapped, shined lights into his eyes, made him recite basic information before advancing to something a little more difficult. Mathematical equations one would learn in grade school, basic information that required him to conjure some rudimentary thought had been included in those questions. All of it made his head hurt and the only thing they could offer him were painkillers and the suggestion to ‘try to get more sleep’. How could he sleep when everything he once knew had gone, when his life from before was over and done with?

And now they wanted him to meet with a man called Reeve. Reeve Tuesti, the president of what they considered the new Shinra company. Even Midgar no longer stood proudly across the sprawling desert sands. He could see its ruins from his hospital room, in the far distance, the top of the old Shinra headquarters from where it used to stand towering over everything around it. Now he lived in a city called Edge, and for the second time in his life he had lost another few years.

It angered him knowing his life had changed without him being a knowing participant, even if you couldn’t call it much of one given how it had ended. But it hadn’t really ended. He had to keep reminding himself of that. The doctor’s never ceased to do that for him. His eyes shot to the door when someone knocked. He recognized the voice of the doctor who had been overseeing his case and watched as the man entered with his permission.

“Good morning, Zack.” The doctor shut the door softly behind him. Finemore, Zack remembered. He was getting better at remembering names. “How are you feeling today?”

“Tired,” Zack said. He stood near the window, leaning against the sill with his arms crossed over his chest. He had lost a little muscle definition but not all of it. Whatever they did to him kept his body in relatively good shape.

“I understand. Have you eaten yet? They should have brought your breakfast by now.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t that great, but what can you do?” Zack shrugged.

“Fair enough. I never liked hospital food when I was interning,” Finemore said. The doctor could see Zack wasn’t in the mood for light-hearted conversation, so he changed topics. “In any case, I’ve come to let you know that President Tuesti is here. He’s waiting outside in the hall, but if you’re not ready for this, then I understand. You have a choice here.”

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” Zack uncrossed his arms and pushed away from the windowsill. Finemore nodded, briefly left the room. He left the door open a crack before coming in again. The man who trailed after him looked like any suit he’d seen before: not a hair out of place, polished, put together—stuffy, almost, but old Shinra was all he had to go on. Had he been this cynical before in the past, he wondered? Zack shook the thought away and tried to give the man his attention. “Zack, this is Reeve Tuesti.”

Reeve eyed him as if he were staring at a ghost and it made things uncomfortable, but Zack took the man’s hand when he offered it.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” Reeve said, holding onto Zack’s hand a little longer than normal. When he pulled away, he hesitated and turned back to the doctor. “We’ll be alright. I’ll come get you when we’re done.”

Finemore nodded and silently excused himself, stepping out of the room to give them some privacy.

Reeve extended his hand to the table in the corner of the room. They brought in two chairs for them to sit for this specific occasion, one of which Zack took. He sat across the table from Reeve who settled in the other chair.

“You’re probably wondering why I asked to meet you,” Reeve said after almost a minute of awkward silence.

Zack shrugged, scratched an itch on his arm. “A little.”

“I can only imagine.” Reeve seemed not to know what to say. According to the doctors, Zack’s survival was nothing short of a miracle. Minutes later and he might have bled out completely lying up there on that dusty cliff. Instead it wasn’t dusty. They told him it had been raining that day. Pouring, in fact. He had been soaked to the bone and part of the reason why he had come out of his coma relatively unscathed had been due to the significant drop in body temperature. It helped to give them a chance to work their magic. 

Reeve continued. “Doctor Finemore told me he explained everything to you, up to what’s happened since...they retrieved and brought you to the hospital. There’s no need for us to go on about that, as you’re fully aware of what happened, but--” Reeve paused, searching for the right words. “Your life has changed drastically since then. That, I understand. Everything you once knew has changed, as life does.” Now he was just rambling and both of them seemed to understand that. He struggled for some time more before settling on coming out with it. “I am friends with someone you know. Cloud Strife.”

Zack perked up at the name, eyes widened. “Cloud?”

“Yes. We met a few years ago due to unfortunate circumstances. He had made it to the city after you two escaped Hojo’s laboratory. He told me the details some time ago, about what happened leading up to your standoff. After that, much of the following year was a blur to him. We’ve all been through a lot since then.”

“They told me what happened with Sephiroth and with…” Zack paused, sighed. “I don’t get it. Is he really gone now?” Nothing made sense to him. Even this guy Reeve seemed like he was keeping secrets.

“Perhaps. Maybe he still exists in some form. It’s not been easy to tell.” Reeve shifted in his chair, switched one leg to cross over the other. “I know that doesn’t make much sense. What you do know is that Cloud stabbed Sephiroth in the reactor that day. The reports say he was tossed into the Lifestream below, but there are multiple corroborating reports of people having spotted him after that. He wasn’t dead, as the reports explained. The most important thing you need to know is that Cloud helped to mitigate the threat he continued to pose. They didn’t tell you the details about that because I asked them not to. I wanted to be the one to tell you about him knowing your relationship. I...wanted to be the one to tell you that, even though it was often a team effort in the long run, Cloud always ended up pulling more weight than he seemed capable.”

Zack leaned back, gaze drifting beyond the table somewhere as he processed the information. Cloud was alive. Cloud was alive and he had defeated Sephiroth. Not once, but twice. The damn kid was the one who had run Sephiroth through with his own blade and lived to tell about it. He had missed that piece of information between their escape from the reactor to their subsequent recapturing at the hands of Hojo. And then Cloud pulled through a second time. How, though? It made little sense. Cloud hadn’t even made it into SOLDIER and here he was taking down the greatest war hero Shinra ever produced.

“I know it sounds impossible, but just know that it is the truth,” Reeve said. “Cloud has been through a lot and he has paid dearly for it. He’s also grown into a tremendous young man who I am proud to call my friend. It’s no wonder where he got it from. He had a loyal friend who quite literally carried him to the end. I apologize, Zack, for everything Shinra put you through. Please know that I have done my best to turn this company, this city around. It’s been my personal goal given how helpless I was to change any of it when President Shinra was alive.”

“He’s dead, too?”

Reeve nodded. “Under uncertain circumstances, but yes. Some speculate that Sephiroth was behind his murder, but I was not there myself. Rufus took over after that and was removed from his position about a year after. It’s been a year since then. And a little over two years since they brought you here.”

Zack sucked in a deep breath of air through his nose and let it out heavily. This was a lot to process, plain and simple. Not only did he have the weight of relearning how to function outside of the coma they had induced him into, but now he had to process the events that had put him there. Zack stood from the chair and moved to the window. A cool breeze pushed in through the open window, rustling the curtains. He stared down into the city, mind wandering. If Cloud might walk by on that road below him, would he recognize him? Would he look up from below and recognize each other? What would he say? I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you better. Pathetic. ‘Sorry you had to face Sephiroth on your own’ sounded a little more sincere, but Zack was getting ahead of himself.

“Zack, I was not informed of your existence until only recently. If it puts your mind at ease, the doctors told me about everything they’ve done so far. I read your files to make sure you were being given the best care. But there is one thing that’s been bothering me. Now that I know you’re here and that you are finally able to join us, judging by the progress you’ve made and your prognosis for the future, it only seems right to let you live your life again.”

Zack frowned. “Why does that worry you?”

Reeve stood as well, gently tapped his knuckles against the table. “Because as much as Cloud has grown, I don’t think he’s entirely made peace with the fact that you died right in front of him. He is a different person now, even from the first time we met those years ago. At the same time he is very much that scared little boy, tormented and weighed down heavily by, literally, the weight of the world. I wonder if sometimes, at night, he dreams like I do. Perhaps my nightmares aren’t as terrifying as his, but if mine are even half as bad as he is in a fragile state. If…” Reeve corrected himself. “When you two meet again and he learns of your existence, I know he will have a hard time processing it. Seeing you survived will turn his life upside down.”

“What is he doing now?” Zack asked.

“Working for me.”

“He’s working for _Shinra_?”

“It sounds bad when you say it like that, but yes. It is temporary until I find someone capable of leading the regiment--”

“He’s a colonel?”

“Of sorts. We refer to the position as ‘General’, but Cloud doesn’t like the title.”

Zack spluttered with laughter, with disbelief. It took his brain a moment to catch up with a response. “I thought nothing else could shock me, but this takes the cake.”

“Which is why I’m telling you he’s changed.” Reeve pursed his lips. He stopped pacing and stood near the foot of the hospital bed. “If I know Cloud, he would want to know about you sooner rather than later. Perhaps I’m preparing myself for the day that this happens, but right now he’s taking care of business outside the city. The Midgar ruins are a hotspot for monster activity lately and it’s required his attention to neutralize the threat. If I were to take you to see him, it could jeopardize our ability to keep the city safe. You understand, don’t you?”

“Sure I do, but what about after it’s been taken care of. What then?”

“Then he and I will have a conversation to limit the impact of this news and we’ll arrange a meeting,” Reeve said. “You two will meet and…” Reeve shrugged, thinking of Tifa, Barret, Marlene, thinking of everyone Cloud had befriended in the last few years. “I guess we will see.” Silence blanketed the room. An uncomfortable tension lingered between the two as both men struggled with where to go next.

“When do you think I’ll be able to see him?” Zack said.

Reeve gave the question a moment of thought before responding. “A week, perhaps. I’ll have more information in the next day or two about his progress, but it should not take him long to finish what he’s doing. The last thing I want to do is keep you away from him. It’s just that now is not the right time.” Reeve fell silent, at a loss for words or with so many that he did not know how to continue. “Do you know… Cloud desperately wanted forgiveness.”

Zack frowned. “For what?”

“He said at one point that he had not been strong enough to save you or Aerith--”

“Wait, Aerith? What happened to Aerith?” Zack’s eyes widened.

Reeve hesitated to answer. “I’m...not sure I feel comfortable telling you this.”

“Is she…? Oh, gods--” Zack paced the room again; a nervous ball of energy and growing panic. “I knew it. I felt like something was off but I just couldn’t figure out what.” He stopped at the foot of the bed and stared at Reeve. “How? How did it happen?” The look on his face indicated he might throw up at any moment, but Reeve answered.

The president turned in his chair to face Zack. “Sephiroth killed Aerith.” He said it plainly, not holding back. “He considered her a threat to his plans and he...well, he did what she figured he would do.”

“She knew?”

Reeve shook his head. “She had an inkling, I suppose. I was not there when it happened but the aftermath was...devastating, to say the least. Not only was she a wonderful young woman and, as far as we know, one of the last of her kind, but she was integral to helping Cloud defeat Sephiroth in the end. She sacrificed herself for the greater good and helped save the planet.”

Zack stumbled back onto the bed, falling onto the mattress where he sat down heavily. Reeve could see the train that had slammed into him, knocked him off his feet and turned his world upside down.

“Last of her kind? What the hell is going on here? What are you talking about?” 

“Aerith was a Cetra, Zack,” Reeve said in the calmest tone he could muster. “Like I said, there is much to explain and we have all the time in the world to explain it.” He took a few minutes to expose the truth about how she had ended up at the church in Sector 5, about how Shinra had kept an eye on her after her mother had passed away, after Elmyra took her in as her own. Had Cloud never met Aerith, she might have still been alive. It just seemed much too coincidental to explain otherwise. 

“Do you...did she never speak to you?” Reeve asked. “In the Lifestream. What even did you see? Where did you go when you--?” He stopped himself. “After you died, what happened?”

Zack stared up at Reeve, searching the man’s eyes. It was almost as if he had asked him a question in a foreign language he didn’t know how to speak. “I don’t remember anything. The last thing I can remember was giving Cloud my sword. After that, though…? It was like falling to sleep and then--poof--all of a sudden I was out of it. But my head was muddled.” He paused. “Have you ever had a really bad fever? You fall asleep, wake up feeling like you’re on fire, and you don’t know where you are or how you got there, what time it is or even how long you’ve slept. That’s the only thing I can compare it to. But she never spoke to me, not that I remember. Or maybe she did and I just can’t remember.” Zack sighed, dropped his head in his hands, and shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know. Sephiroth was a good man and then he...he lost it. He turned into something they wanted him to be, something they had bred him to become and he let it happen. He fell right into their gods damned trap!” Zack’s balled fist swung to the side and hit the pillow.

“Sephiroth was indeed a tragic young man, but what happened to him was no excuse for his subsequent actions,” Reeve said. He approached Zack, still keeping a safe distance between them. “What he did to you, to Cloud, to Aerith...it was not an excuse. And if he’s still out there somewhere, we’ll deal with him, but for now things are peaceful. Cloud has made peace with what’s happened or at least I hope he has. Knowing you are still among us will shake him to his core.”

“I have to see him,” Zack said.

“You can’t.”

“I know, not…” Zack scoffed. “Not right now, but I need to see him as soon as I can. This is ridiculous that I’m still locked up in this hospital, waiting for and wondering about what’s going to happen next.”

“I can help with the whole getting out of here thing, at the very least. We’ll find you a place to stay, somewhere to call your own. Once you’ve been cleared with a clean bill of health, that is. You can get out of here and start living your life again. After that, you and Cloud will be back together again. If you’ll only have a little more patience until then.”

Zack heaved another heavy sigh, not so much exasperated as it was indicating he had conceded and accepted the stipulation. 

Reeve went on. “I do hope you can find a way to hang on until we can arrange a meeting, but for now I should leave you to rest and regain your strength.” Reeve moved to the door after lingering in a moment of silence. He stopped when he grabbed the knob. “This may not seem like a good thing now, but you have my word about Cloud. I’ll bring him to you when the time is right.” Without another word, Reeve opened the door and stepped out, leaving Zack alone to digest everything.

~

It took hours to call in the heavy machinery required to block off the exits, and it arrived after sundown, making it difficult to start work in the dark. Spotlights had to be called in, set up, and positioned so they could see what they were doing. They used a mixture of debris from the ruins and other materials they had carted along in the trucks. It took days to complete and several rounds of surveillance and testing to make sure nothing would escape any time soon.

On the fourth day, with the heavy lifting completed and recon pointing toward a successful effort, Cloud made his way back to Edge. Back to pushing papers and nothing so exciting as taking out monsters, but back nonetheless. The small group of men ordered to linger at the outpost had been given orders to clean up any threat that presented itself. In the meantime, Cloud would take care of the administrative side of things.

The night before the celebration at the Seventh Heaven, Cloud hung around his office well past midnight and into the early morning hours. The only person he passed on his way to his bike was a janitor, yawning lazily as he pushed his cart down the south hall. Cloud went straight to his apartment seeing as how it was closer than the bar. He couldn’t imagine waking Tifa at such an early hour and figured he could head over after catching a few hours of sleep. 

He roused at the sound of knocking at his front door. Woke from a dreamless slumber what felt like minutes after he had fallen to sleep. It was as if he had laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes only to be awoken seconds later. He hadn’t even taken off his dusty clothes, though he had managed to kick off his boots somewhere in the back room.

With eyes half-lidded, Cloud answered the door. “Morning, sleepy head!” Yuffie flashed her pearly whites at him and stepped through the small opening between him and the doorway. 

“Yuffie?” Cloud shut the door behind her, wondering if he was only now starting to dream.

“You got it.” She put her hands on her hips and eyed him, eyed his nearly barren apartment. There was a couch, a coffee table and a television in the main room. She could see the kitchen had some appliances but they looked built in and spotless, unused. If she had to guess, it looked like maybe it was a rented space, but she knew that wasn’t true. Cloud had acquired the apartment as his own not long after they finished rebuilding the Seventh Heaven, not long after he and Tifa had called it quits.

Cloud reached up and pushed his hand through his tousled hair. “What are you doing here?” His voice was still a bit raspy from having just woken.

Yuffie turned to face him. She had grown an inch or two taller--or maybe it was her boots--since they first met. Her hair had even grown longer, but she kept it pulled back into a bun close to her head. To him, however, she was still the feisty sixteen year old despite having nearly made it into adulthood. 

“Coming to get you,” she said as if it should have been obvious. “Tifa said you’d be back by now and she was right. She said she got your message from the other day but she’s been busy with the party planning. That’s why she didn’t call back.”

“Right.” That was today. He had almost forgotten about that despite having discussed it with Cid not long ago.

Yuffie hesitated. “‘Kay, so...I’ll give you some time to wash up and all that, but Tifa wants you over there as soon as possible.” Yuffie lingered a little longer as if intent on saying something and thought against it. She moved to the front door and faced him once more. She was nothing but a shadow now. The sunshine burned so brightly it nearly blinded his tired eyes. “You might want to think about putting some art in here or something. Spruce up the place a little. Okay--see ya!” And with that, Yuffie was gone as quickly as she appeared.

She pulled the door shut behind her and Cloud reengaged the locks. He lingered there at the door for a few seconds, his brain struggled desperately between two choices: go back to sleep or face Tifa’s wrath. If he missed the one day out of the year they could celebrate with everyone together, there was no doubt in his mind she would make him pay for it. And Cloud certainly wasn’t keen on finding out how. He padded through the living room to the bathroom where he disrobed, pulled off his dirty clothing and kicked it aside while he started the shower. The cold water was exactly what he needed to kick start the wake up process.

He made the shower a quick one, soaping and rinsing the most pertinent parts before killing the water stream and drying off. Cloud dressed a little more casually this time, not wanting to stride into the bar looking like he had only just come back from the compound. He hadn’t seen some of their friends for quite a while and the last thing he wanted was to come off as cold-hearted. Hardly half an hour had passed before he determined he looked presentable enough. Cloud slipped onto his bike and, once close enough to the bar, could see Denzel outside waiting for him, lured outside by the vociferous roar of the bike’s engine.

Denzel cheered, jumped up and down and ran back inside the bar to announce Cloud’s presence. It was hard not to smile at his excitement, but Cloud didn’t rush inside. He parked the bike out of the way and secured his sword to his back--always had his sword there, just in case. He felt naked without it, but he could at least stash it somewhere in the bar out of the way just this once.

“Welcome back.” Tifa greeted him once he walked in through the double doors. She quickly pecked his cheek, hand on his shoulder as she stood on her toes to reach. The sound of footsteps echoed upstairs, laughter and fumbling. Tifa turned on her heels to head back to the bar. She had several different sets of decorations she was in the process of hanging or sticking to the wall, and it looked like she wouldn’t be done with them for some time. “When did you get back?” Tifa asked.

Cloud approached the bar, slipped onto a stool and settled there. “I thought you told Yuffie you knew I’d be back by now.” Why he felt the need to respond with such a defensive answer was beyond him. It just came out that way.

Tifa eyed him but said nothing about it. “Anyway, I really thought you’d end up staying out there in those ruins. I was worried.”

“I promised I would be here and I’m here.”

It relieved him when she smiled and nodded. “Absolutely.” Her demeanor changed in an instant. “So, Barret is out finishing a job, but he’s going to be back in an hour or so. Cid will be here around four and Vincent...well, I don’t actually know when Vincent is coming. He just said he’d be here. Red is on his way, too, and should be here in the next hour or so.” Tifa gasped. “Did I tell you Reeve is coming?”

Cloud shook his head. “Won’t it be a little weird seeing the president of Shinra roll up to the bar?”

Tifa snickered. “Probably, but who cares. It’s not like it’s Rufus.” She smirked at him over her shoulder as she moved across the bar. Marlene, Denzel, and Yuffie barreled down the stairs, kicking up a racket in their wake. They ran across the bar as it seemed Yuffie had been the instigator. She was chasing them and the two kids exploded with laughter. “Hey, hey, hey! Be careful,” warned Tifa, putting on her best big sister voice. Everyone slowed down, came to a stop and stared at her. “If you all have that much energy, why don’t you help me set up these decorations? Marlene, put the cups on the table by the door. Denzel, you help Yuffie put those streamers up. And twist them a little so they have some flair.”

No one argued with her. They knew better given how serious Tifa could be when she wanted, but Tifa smiled as everyone immediately got to work.

“Maybe I should start calling you mom,” Cloud teased. He flashed her that subtle smirk of his.

“Maybe I should teach you a lesson if you ever even think of doing that,” she threw back at him with a wicked smile. Tifa grabbed something out of the fridge from under the bar and poured him a glass of milk.

Cloud lifted his hands, feigning submission. “Alright. I won’t say it.”

“Mmm, you’re smarter than you look.” Tifa pushed his glass forward, urging him to drink it. She finished gathering the decorations for them and then leaned on her elbows on the counter in front of Cloud. “So how did it go out there in the ruins?” she asked because now that the kids and Yuffie were busy, they wouldn’t be paying much attention.

Cloud considered the question before he ventured an answer. “I’m not sure.”

Tifa frowned. “What do you mean you’re not sure?”

Cloud lowered his voice and leaned in. “To be honest, I’m a little worried about the amount of monsters we came across on the first day alone. The exits have been blocked off and we’re monitoring the area night and day, but I don’t doubt they’ll find a way through eventually.”

“Do you know where they came from?” Tifa asked.

Cloud shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is that they’re trying to get into the old Shinra headquarters.”

“That seems random.”

“Not really.” Cloud lifted the glass of milk to his lips and sipped at the chilly drink.

Tifa cocked her head to the side. Some of her hair fell across her cheek and she tucked it behind her ear. “Why do you say that?”

“You’ve been down there, inside those underground tunnels. Remember what you saw? I’m not at all surprised they got out in the first place. What worries me is why they’re trying to get back in.”

“I thought Shinra took care of them,” Tifa said.

“They took care of them when the building collapsed. It wasn’t what they reported to the public, but it worked. Or at least they thought it did.”

Tifa hummed, thinking. She tapped one finger on her elbow, but she didn’t make clear right away what was going through her head. “Is the city safe for now, at least?”

“For now, yes. There’s nothing really to worry about or I would tell you,” Cloud told her. She would be the first to know if they needed to find somewhere safe to stay.

Tifa stood upright. “I trust you.” She smiled at him until Marlene approached the bar and climbed onto the stool next to Cloud.

“I think Red is here!” the girl declared. “I saw him running down the street through the window.”

“Yeah?” Tifa glanced up at the front door and like clockwork, Red stood on his hind legs and pushed the door open before trotting inside. Tifa rounded the bar to welcome him and everyone gathered around to do the same. Cloud, however, remained on the stool while they caught up with the creature. 

Not ten minutes later, Barret slipped inside. He scooped Marlene into his arms and hoisted her up into a firm but gentle hug, eventually sitting her on his shoulder. The rest of the day played out the same while everyone else trickled in. Cid first, then Reeve sans his stuffy suit, and Vincent last. Tifa shut the doors, engaged the lock when everyone was there.

Tifa had set up drinks, food, music, and games. Most everyone sat around and laughed, but the kids--after having devoured the pizza Tifa ordered--played some sort of game they had learned off the streets from the other kids. It had something to do with guessing which hand had the coin in it, and if you guessed wrong then the other player’s hand got a smack.

A dark blur from the corner of his gaze prompted Cloud to glance over his shoulder. Vincent took the seat next to Cloud where he sat at one of the taller tables, having been watching the kids play their game. He set his drink down and watched, as Cloud had been doing for the majority of the get together, what everyone else was up to.

A few moments passed before Vincent spoke first. “Feels odd to be celebrating,” he said, twirling his glass of amber liquid in his hand, “when this land is constantly plagued with calamity.”

Cloud snorted and sipped his own drink. “You read my mind.”

“You’ve had a rough go of things. It makes sense that you’d expect the worst.”

“I don’t even know if I do that anymore,” Cloud mumbled.

“You deserve peace. You have it now,” Vincent reminded him. “Don’t you?”

Cloud considered the question. Vincent had a point, but there had been things on his mind lately he couldn’t shake. “Tell me something...about those monsters in the Midgar ruins. Why would they want to get back underground? It just doesn’t make sense to me. I told Tifa things were fine and they are for the most part, but the monsters haven’t stopped burrowing. You’d think they would want to get out of there, and they have. It’s just…”

“Now they’re trying to get back in,” Vincent said.

Cloud nodded as he watched Yuffie down a mug of beer. Everyone joined in cheering her on, clapping once she got halfway and didn’t stop. “It makes me wonder what’s down there that we missed.”

“I have had my fair share of run ins with Hojo and even I don’t know entirely what he got up to. What I do know is that it was never good.” Vincent sipped his drink again, setting it down gently. 

“It makes me want to go down there even more and find out for myself.”

“Do you think that’s a wise choice? The logistics of getting through the ruins would be difficult enough, but to make through the ruins and inside inside in one piece seems like suicide. Not to mention getting back.”

Cloud shrugged. “I’ve beaten Sephiroth more times than I can count,” he said, a hint of sarcasm dripped from his voice, “so what’s the difference between him and a couple of monsters.”

Vincent glanced at Cloud. “A couple? I hear from the reports there are at least a handful above ground. Gaia only knows how many more linger down below.”

“Tifa would kill me first before she would let me go down there alone. I doubt she’d even agree if I had an entire regiment of first class SOLDIERS to back me up.” It wasn’t that she thought he couldn’t take care of himself, Cloud knew, but rather she didn’t want him in that situation in the first place. No one did.

“She cares tremendously for you,” Vincent said and both men considered the statement in silence before either spoke again. “May I ask how things are between you two?”

Cloud shrugged. “Alright, I guess.” He knew Vincent was aware of their relationship, and the fact that they weren’t officially together any longer, but that didn’t make it any less awkward. “We’re not...together, you know.”

Vincent nodded. “It happens.”

Cloud stared at his glass, watched as a droplet slid from the rim down to the table. He allowed his thoughts to run wild, but only for a moment before reeling them back in. “I guess…I feel like I owe it to her to do better than I have been.”

“Do better?” Vincent echoed. “You’ve done quite well for yourself.”

Cloud snorted. “That’s not what I mean.” Vincent didn’t press for an explanation and yet Cloud continued. “After everything we’ve been through, after the things I’ve experienced, it’s like the remnants never go away. It’s been difficult to...just forget.” Maybe he was comfortable telling Vincent this knowing the man’s own experiences. Maybe he knew that Vincent wouldn’t utter a word about it to any other living soul. Either way, it all came spewing out and what better time than when everyone else was distracted.

“If anyone understands that, it’s me,” Vincent told him. “I am quite familiar with things not going away. Even after all this time, Lucrecia still weighs heavily on my mind and my heart. I do not ever think I can forgive myself for letting happen what happened.”

“You do realize you couldn’t have stopped it anyway,” Cloud said. 

Vincent let out a soft and subtle sigh. “Perhaps you’re right.”

Cloud nodded. “I know I’m right. Everything that happened to us, even before Sephiroth was born, was out of all our hands. We just got caught up in it. There was no stopping what was already put into motion.”

Vincent hummed in agreement, brought his drink to his lips again and finished it this time. They both watched as Cid joined in on the game of chug that beer, but the pilot added shots to the mix and he took them down with ease, like drinking a glass of water. It was then that Tifa decided the kids should turn in for the night. She met Cloud’s gaze and flashed him a little smile as she ushered them both along, whining and protesting. It only took Barret whispering to the two to calm their frustrations and Denzel led Marlene upstairs after saying goodnight.

Even then, the celebration lasted another few hours, well into the dark of the night. To help the kids sleep, though, Tifa turned down the music and urged everyone not to get too rowdy. Not only did they have to think of Denzel and Marlene, but their neighbors as well. The last thing she wanted was to upset anyone nearby while they enjoyed the rest of the time they had together. 

Bit by bit, as the night continued, Tifa cleaned up the empty cups, plates, and everything else they had left scattered about. Cloud joined her shortly after his conversation with Vincent, wanting something to occupy himself with now that his mind was reeling. She thanked him with a gentle touch on his arm or a smirk here and there, and before they knew it the bar was tidy once again. All in good time now that the celebration had wound down. Reeve excused himself first, noting he would see them again--see Cloud soon, at least--but that he also had some work to do the next day and needed to get some sleep. He was the least toasted of the bunch save for Cloud and Vincent. They just didn’t metabolize the alcohol like everyone else did.

Red was soon to follow Reeve and they said their goodbyes. Yuffie, too, but she would be back the next morning, or perhaps that afternoon once she got some shut eye. That left Cid and Vincent, who had come separately but were leaving together. Tifa urged the gunman not to be such a stranger. They missed him. Marlene talked about him often and even asked for his phone number to store in her little cell phone. As long as she didn’t abuse it, Tifa told her, she could reach him any time.

He assured her they would see him again soon and left it at that, gave Cloud a nod before leading the pilot out of the bar. Their accommodations for the night sat parked on the outskirts of town, looming in the shadows of the city skyline. Tomorrow morning, however, The Highwind would take flight and head back west. That is, if Cid wasn’t too toasted to navigate the controls.

Barret made his way upstairs and disappeared into his room after checking on the children, after wishing Cloud and Tifa a goodnight.

Tifa wiped the bar down one last time. She tossed the rag in the small hamper to be washed later and sighed, eyelids heavy with exhaustion.

“Get some rest,” Cloud insisted. He could see how tired she was, having been awake since early morning into the next day.

Tifa stared at him, the cogs turning in her head. “Will you be going home, or…?”

He hadn’t expected the question, but it wasn’t like she had never asked it before. Cloud sometimes spent the night when he didn’t feel like going to his apartment. Today was one of those days, it seemed. “I’ll stay,” he said and he followed her upstairs after she locked the front door, flicked the lights off.

Cloud pulled off his boots, pulled most of his clothes off aside from his underwear, and crawled into her bed, too tired to do much of anything else. Tifa took a moment to wash and dress in her pajamas and joined him shortly after. The scent of her shampoo assaulted his nose and Cloud didn’t fight it. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer. She pressed against his warm chest. Why it couldn’t be as simple as that between them often kept Cloud awake at night, but this was not one of them.

Cloud pressed his lips against her forehead, placing a soft kiss there. She kissed his chest and it sent a pleasant shiver over his skin. The feel of her fingers, of her palm moving up and down his back helped to lull him to sleep. For one rare, beautiful night, he did not dream of anything at all. Cloud didn’t wake an hour later from a fitful rest. He didn’t stand out on the balcony while the breeze cooled his feverish skin. He lay in her bed, legs tangled together, bodies pressed as close as possible and he slept well after sunrise.


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks. It took two weeks to clear Zack for discharge and another few days to obtain a suitable residence. The ball rolled relatively fast after that. Reeve tasked Reiben personally with procuring an apartment in one of the districts meant for retired military personnel, mainly to keep him out of the public eye in the off chance someone would recognize him, but also so that they could keep tabs on his progress outside of the hospital.

The night he was given the key to his new place felt like a dream. He recalled taking the key, staring at it in his palm, and inserting it into the lock. Everything else happened mechanically after that. From opening the door to the way his feet moved one in front of the other onto the hardwood floor; it all happened like some movie. They had taken the liberty of furnishing the apartment. A couch and coffee table, a simple television stand topped with a TV equipped with whatever channels he could think of sat decorating the living room. Inside the kitchen, he had all he could ever need and yet nothing so overwhelming that his choices were limitless: a microwave, stove, oven, toaster, and some kind of pot-like thing you could plug into the wall--coffee maker, it looked like, but he never liked coffee, never owned one.

The one bathroom was stocked with towels, toiletries and toilet paper, but he found overflow in one of the hallway closets, along with some other provisions like extra linens and cleaning products. He even had a washer and dryer in the unit so he wouldn’t have to find a laundromat in the city. The bedroom had everything one would expect a bedroom to have: a sizable bed, nightstands on either sides, lamps atop those, and a dresser as well as a closet to store his clothes. 

Reiben had even purchased some basics like shirts, pants, and underwear, which sat neatly folded in the dresser or hung in the closet. There were two sets of boots, sneakers, and even a shiny new pair of dress shoes. Zack snorted. Where would he wear those?

Zack shut the door to the closet and made his way into the living room. This place felt unfamiliar, like someone else lived there and he had mistakenly walked inside while no one was home. He pulled his coat off and tossed it over the arm of the couch for the time being. Maybe he would hang it up. Maybe not. He had to remind himself this was his place now. He could do whatever he wanted in it. That is, until someone knocked on the door.

Reeve smiled when Zack answered. “I hope I’m not disrupting you,” he said, waiting patiently at the doorstep.

“Not at all.” Zack stepped aside to let the man in. He shut the door behind him and stood in the entryway, watching Reeve scan the place.

Reeve turned to face Zack and said, “I hope the accommodations are to your liking. If not, we can procure another apartment--”

Zack stopped him before he could go on. “No way, this is great. I’ve got everything I need, thank you.”

Reeve nodded. The silence between them, even though momentary, hung heavily in the air. He cleared his throat and got on with it, got on with the reason for his presence. “Now that you’ve been discharged and have your own place, there’s just one more thing left to do.”

“Have you talked to Cloud yet?” Zack asked.

Reeve shook his head. “It has been difficult for me to find the courage to tell him. There really is no way I can come out with it and not have him doubt me right off the bat.”

“Where is he then? I’ll talk to him myself.”

“It’s not that. I just--” Reeve paused, seemingly unsure of what he was trying to say. “We’ll have to rip this bandaid off sooner rather than later. It would be cruel of me to ask you to wait much longer.” He fell silent again as he gathered his thoughts. “I plan on talking to him tomorrow. It probably won’t go the way I intend it to, but he needs to know and now is the best time to do it. I’ll bring him here and he’ll more than likely react badly.”

Zack frowned. “It’s me, though. Not...Sephiroth, or something like that. We’re friends. Why would he react badly?”

Reeve shoved his hands into his pockets. “Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he won’t take it as badly as I’m imagining, but if it were me I think I wouldn’t believe someone who told me a friend of mine is back from the dead. It just seems much too outlandish to believe.” He paused, shook his head. “That doesn’t matter, though. This is not going to affect me like it will affect him. He’s taken care of his business in the ruins, which means he’s free of anything terribly pressing for the moment.” 

Zack felt his knees go weak, his legs tremble with...was it fear, anxiety? His stomach dropped, flipped, fluttered about. All this time he had insisted on seeing Cloud and now he was scared. How could that be? He moved to the couch to sit down and leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees. He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on his balled fists, nervously bounced his leg. What was the last thing he remembered, being with Cloud, anyway? The rain and the blood. The smear of his blood on Cloud’s face and in his hair. Was that what Cloud was left with? No wonder Reeve was worried.

He lifted his gaze up to the well-kept man and Reeve took it upon himself to sit next to Zack, to come down to his level. “Are you nervous now? You did not seem that way when I last saw you.”

“I guess it’s just really hitting me now that I think about it,” Zack said, biting his bottom lip. “Cloud--” He paused, thinking. “He didn’t see me in such a good state last time. He wasn’t all there himself either, so I can’t imagine what it was like for him to have to go through that all by himself.”

“I can only imagine what those MPs did to you. They wouldn’t let me look at all of the pictures in your file. I didn’t want to, anyway.”

Zack agreed with a slight nod. Even though he had lingering hazy memories, there were enough bits and pieces for him to remember. Zack pressed a hand to his chest, rubbing at the scars that weren’t there anymore. “I don’t ever want Cloud to see those things again. Make sure they get sealed away. He has clearance now, doesn’t he?”

“He does.”

“Then burn the files if you have to.”

Reeve chuckled. “I doubt they would allow me to.”

“But you’re president. You can do whatever you want,” Zack insisted.

“I am not Rufus. Nor am I his father,” Reeve reminded him. “The last thing I want to do is to do whatever I want, whenever I want. It didn’t get either man very far.”

“He built this city, didn’t he? I think that’s what I remember reading.” Zack stood from the couch and paced the living room. “He put up that monument in the city square.”

“He did,” Reeve replied, “but the people who came from Midgar to the new city couldn’t trust him enough even after the fact.”

Zack stopped and faced Reeve, put his hands on his hips. “Do they trust you?” 

“I hope they do.” Reeve shrugged. “I was the one fighting to rebuild Sector 7 when President Shinra dropped the plate. He wouldn’t allow it. I could have run a sword through him myself if Sephiroth hadn’t done it before me.”

“I thought you said you don’t know exactly who killed President Shinra.”

“Cloud says he does and I trust what he says.” Reeve stood as well, straightened the front of his blazer. “In any case, I shall leave you to it. There are things I must do before I bring Cloud here. You should rest as much as possible, too. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

Zack hesitated, nodded after what felt like a long moment. 

“I’ll see myself out,” Reeve said as he made his way to the front door. His black sedan lingered, parked out front. He stood still, holding the knob for a few moments. “Whatever happens tomorrow, just know that this is all for the best.”

Zack snorted. “Forgive me if this sounds too presumptive, but maybe you’re the one trying to convince yourself of that.”

Reeve gave Zack a sad sort of smile. He had hit the nail on the head. “You may be right.” Reeve pulled the door open and stepped outside. “Get some rest,” he said as he shut the door behind him and left it at that.

~

He didn’t sleep a wink that night. Zack tossed and turned in his unfamiliar bed in the unfamiliar apartment. It didn’t smell normal to him, even though the smell wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t his. And it was entirely too cold in there, something he would have to talk to someone about fixing. For the time being, though, Zack curled up in the comforter, mind reeling over every scenario he could imagine the moment it was time to see Cloud again.

Zack rolled onto his back with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. Thanks to the Mako injections, his senses had been improved, heightened, and his vision in the dark had not gone from him. He tapped one finger against his hand where they lay splayed on his chest. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop in there, prompting the thought that he’d have to request a fan as soon as possible. The silence would drive him mad. At least in the hospital there were doors opening and closing, squeaky wheels squeaking, footsteps echoing down the hall. Once upon a time, Zack could sleep in just about any situation as long as his life wasn’t on the line. Sephiroth had even mentioned he had fallen asleep in the chopper ride up to Modeoheim, but that had been a lifetime ago.

He rolled out from under the covers, threw his legs over the side of the bed, and placed his bare feet on the cold wooden floor. Zack lingered there on the bedside for a second before standing and padded across the room to peek out from behind the curtains. Still dark. Not many people roamed the streets and it would stay that way for a few hours. Another sigh escaped him. He let the blinds go and moved out of the bedroom, made his way into the kitchen. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting in there, so he parked himself on the couch and turned the television on. So many channels and nothing interesting to hold his attention. Zack groaned. His head lolled back against the couch knowing this would be a long night.

The hum from his cell phone woke him hours later. Zack lifted his head, glanced around the unfamiliar room until it came back to him where he was. He had fallen to sleep in the living room trying to pass the time and now someone was calling.

“H-hello?” Zack fumbled as he answered. “Hello?”

“Zackary, this is Sao Reiben. Did I wake you?”

Zack relaxed and sat back against the couch. He pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbed his tired eyes. “Yeah, you did. What time is it?”

Sao paused, likely checking the time. “A few minutes shy of ten thirty in the morning. I’m calling because Reeve intends to bring Cloud over in the next hour. He has to take care of some business before that, but he wanted me to pass along the word.”

Zack shot off the couch. “An hour? Jeez, you didn’t give me much time to get ready.” He ran his hand through his hair, glanced around the room for nothing in particular. “Okay. Yeah, let me get cleaned up.”

“He also told me to tell you not to be too confused. He won’t be telling Cloud where he’s taking him,” Sao explained. 

“Why not?” Zack asked.

“It is not my place to explain his reasoning, but that is something you can ask him when you two meet again. Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime? How was your first night at the apartment?” Reiben asked. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Uhh...fine,” Zack said. “It was fine. Listen, thanks for the heads up. I’m gonna get ready.” Before Sao could add anything more, Zack ended the call and tossed his phone on the couch. _Got to get ready_ , he told himself. _Got to get clean. Got to pick up the pace_. What was there to clean, anyway? He hadn’t made a mess. A quick sweep through each room to adjust pillows and smooth out blankets and he was ready, but first a shower.

Once clean and dressed in fresh clothes, Zack stood staring at himself in the mirror. He looked the same as always, maybe a bit thinner in his cheeks and midsection, but his reflection matched the memory of himself from before. He would have to start working out more heavily once the doctor’s cleared him for that; however, building muscle was the least of his worries. Cloud would be there soon. Cloud Strife, in the flesh. He hadn’t seen the young man in years. What would he look like now? Was his hair still spiky and blond? Had he kept his ears pierced? 

Zack pushed away from the counter out of the bathroom and stopped at the foot of his bed. His stomach was in gyrations, wouldn’t stop flopping around like a fish out of water. 

“Okay, Zack, you got this,” he told himself out loud. “Just...take a few deep breaths.” He sucked one in through his nose and let it out slowly. “Good. In and out. Just like that.” He breathed steadily again and again, only briefly calming his shot nerves. Another hour of this might drive him mad, but he had to find a way to occupy his time.

~

When Reeve called Cloud a few days after the celebration at the Seventh Heaven and asked to have a private conversation with him, Cloud suspected the worst. It wasn’t every day the president of Shinra requested a meeting, especially considering it had nothing to do with work. The thing that confused Cloud the most, however, was how Reeve made no sense at all. His explanation had been vague, cryptic even, talking about the past, talking about how everything had gone to shit and how they had ended up where they were now. It gave him a lot to think about on his way to the address Reeve had provided, an address in one of the residential districts often used for housing military personnel.

Why there, though, was the question Cloud asked himself. Why not headquarters or the bar? It didn’t make sense, but he pulled up behind Reeve’s sedan where it sat parked outside of an apartment building. He kicked the stand on his bike down and leaned it propped upright. Cloud didn’t wear his goggles this time, usually reserved them for higher speeds or rides where dirt might kick up in his face. He slipped his swords into their compartment and secured it, figuring he wouldn't need them here--wherever they were.

The two of them closed the distance between each other as they met between the bike and the car.

“What are we doing ?” Cloud asked. He glanced around the neighbourhood--minimal, clean--but settled his gaze on Reeve. He would have normally donned a suit, but this time Reeve dressed down in a button up with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and a pair of slacks--no vest, no blazer, no tie, no shiny cap-toed shoes.

Reeve sighed heavily through his nose. He shoved his hands in his pockets and said, “I want you to know something. When you walk through that door, you’re not going to understand what you’re seeing.”

Cloud frowned. “Listen, this ominous stuff you’re spouting isn’t making any sense. What’ve you brought me here for?”

A frown pulled at Reeve’s brow, his expression nearly impossible to read. “Let’s just go inside,” he said softly as he made his way up the steps. Cloud hesitated but followed and stood back while Reeve knocked on the door.

It took whoever was in there a moment to answer. Cloud didn’t catch a glimpse right away of the figure who pulled the door open, but he could see it move aside so they could step in. Reeve went first, followed by Cloud. What followed next played out like a dream. Cloud peered into the apartment, not bothering to look at the man once his eyes adjusted to the change in light from outside into the dimly lit entryway. It was only when he brought his gaze back to the door that time moved impossibly slow.

Zack stood there, an indescribable expression on his face. Cloud glanced at Reeve, mouth slightly slack, and he turned his gaze back to Zack. He blinked his bright blue eyes thinking maybe if he tried clearing them that what he was seeing might actually make sense. It didn't. 

“Is this a joke?” Cloud said. He heard himself speak the words but they sounded far away.

“No, Cloud. This is not a joke,” Reeve answered.

“Cloud.” Zack stepped forward, but stopped in his tracks when Cloud winced and grabbed his head as though it might explode.

“Cloud?” Reeve reached out for the man’s arm, gently touched his bicep.

Cloud whimpered, shook his head. Flashes of rain blinked across his vision. Rain and blood. The dirt had turned to mud under his hands and knees. He remembered there had been a truck; the dirty bed of the back of a truck. He felt himself going backwards, fading away. They had gone so far for such a long time only for things to end in agony. 

Both men rushed to him when he fell to one knee, still firmly gripping his head with both hands. “Cloud,” he heard Zack speak. A dream? This had to be a dream. Or a nightmare. There was that shock, the electricity that coursed through his veins and zapped his brain. He was up on his feet again in seconds, backing against the now closed front door. It felt real, but there was no way it could be.

“This isn’t real,” Cloud heard himself say. “You’re not…” He paused, panting, searching for the right words. “You’re dead. I saw you die.”

“That’s right,” Zack agreed but his voice was far away, too. Muddled like he was under water. “I died. I did die, but they brought me back.”

Cloud grunted this time and moved deeper into the apartment away from them, nearly staggered over the coffee table in his attempt to get away. He was practically hyperventilating. Cloud shook his head, said nothing, but the air left his lungs and soon he was on the floor. Gone.

~

“Oh, shit!” Zack spat. He rushed to Cloud’s side where the blonde had collapsed. Once he managed to roll him over, Zack noticed Cloud had turned deathly pale, but he felt relief when he realized the blonde was still breathing.

“Let’s get him on the couch,” Reeve said. He helped as best he could knowing Zack didn’t have his full strength. Thankfully, Cloud was slim enough that his weight posed little trouble for the both of them. They carefully placed him on his back on the couch and Reeve stuck a pillow under his head for comfort. “I knew this would happen.”

“You said he wouldn’t take it well, but I didn’t think he would lose consciousness.” Zack rounded the table to grab an afghan from the back of the armchair. He lay it across Cloud as his skin felt cold to the touch. Only when Cloud was settled did Zack allow himself to sit. His gaze never left the soft line of Cloud’s chin, his narrow nose. Even his eyelashes were as he remembered them, long and full. He wore his earrings, too. The little studs Cloud had picked out one night when they went into the city to have some fun and he ended up getting them pierced.

Reeve put his hands on his hips, watching Zack watch Cloud as he rested fitfully. “I suppose leaving you two for a bit of time together is a bad idea right now,” he said.

Zack shot his wide-eyed gaze at Reeve. “You're not leaving, are you? What if he wakes up and he’s upset or starts to freak out?”

“I don’t think he will be,” Reeve said. “Not toward you. And no, I'm not leaving. I don't think it would be good if I did.”

Zack relazed a bit knowing Reeve wasn't going to abandon him. Eventually, he parked himself on the armchair next to the couch and watched nervously as Cloud slept. He slept for a while, hours, maybe. Zack wasn’t sure since he wasn’t keeping track of the exact time. All he knew was that the shadows in his apartment had moved from where they had been a while ago now that the sun was out and shining brightly up above them.

Cloud winced at first when he stirred. He tried to speak but his voice croaked the moment he opened his mouth. He lifted one leg, bending his knee. His boot settled on the couch cushion while his other foot sat propped against the arm of the couch. Cloud lifted one hand out from under the blanket and pressed it against his head, against his eyes, which he rubbed.

Reeve returned to the living room when he heard the slight commotion. He had been in the back room making phone calls when he heard Cloud stirring. The sight of him peeling his eyes open sent nervous flutters inside of Reeve’s stomach. He sat on the coffee table and it was he who Cloud spotted first.

“What happened?” Cloud asked as he carefully pushed himself upright, arm shaking a bit.

Reeve glanced at Zack. Cloud followed his gaze and, for the second time that day, laid his eyes on the man he had watched die. 

“Zack?” Cloud put both feet on the floor, sat upright now.

Zack nodded. “I’m sorry...about all this,” he said with a nervous smile. “There wasn’t really any good way to tell you.”

Cloud frowned. He glanced at the coffee table and muttered, “Then it wasn’t just a nightmare.”

“This is very real,” Reeve told him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you outright. I didn’t know how.” He paused, waited for Cloud to say something and only started speaking again when Cloud said nothing. “Is there anything you want to ask me...or anything you want to ask him?”

Cloud glanced up at Reeve and then looked to Zack. His pale skin hadn’t yet regained its color and, quite frankly, he looked like he might vomit. “Why?” he said after a long moment. “How?” A single tear rolled down his cheek, followed by another and another. Cloud broke out into sobs. He dropped his head into his hands and shook his head, rocking back and forth there on the couch.

Zack and Reeve shared a glance. Both of them stayed silent, said nothing despite the pitiful sight. It took Cloud some time to settle his soft whimpers. Neither man tried to explain anything to him until he seemed to regain some composure. Even then, any attempt to provide an answer felt pointless.

“Perhaps..you two should spend some time together--alone,” Reeve said. Now that Cloud was awake, his presence felt unnecessary. 

Zack stood as well. “You can’t stay?”

Reeve looked at the both of them. Cloud hadn’t been the first one to argue. He was wiping the tears from his face, hardly paying attention. “Take some time together,” he told Zack. “And Cloud? I don’t want to hear you’ve come back to headquarters just yet. You need time to process this. Both of you do.”

Cloud nodded but only slightly and watched as Zack led Reeve outside.

“You can contact me any time,” Reeve said. He slipped one arm into his coat sleeve and then the other, fixing the collar. The two of them stepped out of the apartment briefly, shut the door behind them.

“I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m...kind of scared,” Zack admitted, face flushing.

Reeve flashed him a smile. “The hard part is over, right? I know that was hard to watch, but now is the time to catch up.”

“Yeah.” Zack nodded. He rubbed the back of his head. “I will. And hey…thank you. Really. If there was one thing good about all this it’s that I didn’t wake up in a tube with President Shinra still running the show.” He laughed nervously, hoping the joke had resonated. 

“Lucky for you, yes, but remember I was only made aware of your existence less than a month ago.” Reeve paused and placed a reassuring hand on Zack’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about anything else other than this right now. I’ll be in contact.” He patted Zack’s arm and stepped down the stairs, carefully ducking into the back of the sedan.

Zack watched the car drive off. He wrapped his arms around himself and heaved a heavy sigh before stepping back into the apartment. He engaged the lock but hesitated for a moment before returning to Cloud. This time, Zack sat next to the blonde, stomach flipping and flopping with nerves. “I--” Before he could get the words out, Cloud latched onto him, hugging him as though he might float away. He hadn’t expected the hug, but Zack accepted and returned it. He stroked Cloud’s back slowly up and down, pressed his face into Cloud’s deceivingly soft hair. 

Neither man said anything for the longest time. They held one another for what felt like ages until Cloud pulled back to stare up at Zack. “I feel like I’m having the weirdest most surreal dream ever right now,” he said and he sniffled loudly.

“You know what? Me, too. I don’t…” Zack paused, thinking of the right way to come out and say what he weighed heavily on his mind. “All I remember is the last moment we were together, as messed up as it was. I can only imagine everything you’ve been through since then.”

“Reeve didn’t tell you?” Cloud asked. He pulled away from Zack and wiped his eyes though the tears had mostly dried up by then.

“He told me a lot of things. I don’t want to bring all that up again. Not right now,” Zack said. “We can talk about that later.”

Cloud nodded. He looked lost, looked sick.

“I’m so sorry, Cloud.”

“Why?”

Zack sighed again, shook his head. “If I had been able to protect you better and gotten us both to Midgar, maybe this wouldn’t be happening right now.”

Cloud shook his head. “Don’t do that. This is not your fault. You did everything you could do and then some.” He nearly jumped off the couch when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Cloud relaxed when he realized what it was and he fished the device out to read the text message.

“If you need to go--” Zack started.

“Go?”

“I mean, yeah...you’ve got a life you’ve lived beyond mine.”

“It’s Tifa,” Cloud said. “She’s just...she’s fine. She’s worried.”

“Tifa. _Tifa_ Tifa? She’s still around?” Zack asked.

Cloud nodded and set the phone aside. “Yes, she is. She has a bar in the city...again, after the first one was destroyed when they dropped the plate.”

“Oh.” Zack frowned, pursed his lips. “She’s okay, though?”

“She’s okay.”

“You should call her back.”

Cloud shook his head. “I can’t. Not now. I can’t…” He stammered over his words. “She’ll want to know what’s going on and I can’t do this right now.”

“You don’t need to stay if this is too much to handle.”

“Zack, I’m sorry, but I’m not going anywhere,” Cloud told him. “I’m not--” He sighed, closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, though that even looked like a struggle. He stared into Zack’s curious gaze. “I am not going to leave you behind. You didn’t leave me and now that I’m mostly coherent, I’m not going to do what I did back then.”

Zack searched Cloud’s gaze. His mouth hung slightly slack. Was that what he thought he’d be doing, abandoning him? “This isn’t like the last time, though.”

“Isn’t it?” Cloud stood, started to move nervously around the room. “I wake up to this day vividly dreaming about what happened out there in that desert. Almost every day, I get maybe three, four hours of rest--if I’m lucky--before something rips me from my sleep and I’m left a mess still trying to pick up the pieces.” He stopped walking and talking for a moment to face Zack. “I saw you again. Last time I fought Sephiroth, I saw you. I thought I was hallucinating. I knew I had to be. And after all that, I saw you in the church with _her_. With Aerith. I saw you, like...l-like some ghost!”

Zack stood and walked over to Cloud. “We don’t have to do this right now--”

“Is she alive, too?” Cloud hadn’t noticed it, but his voice raised a bit. His breath came out a little harder again, panting. His heart raced. His hands shook. Zack grabbed Cloud and hugged him firmly, nearly crushing him against his chest.

“Stop it,” Zack mumbled against Cloud’s hair. He could feel the other was tense in his arms, muscles clenched in agony as he fought off tears, maybe. Or maybe Cloud wanted to run but couldn’t quite get his feet to move. “Stop.” Zack whispered again. He didn’t tell him things were okay. They quite obviously were not okay. There was no use in lying about that. That was the last thing he needed to hear at that moment. Zack closed his eyes and moved his hand up and down Cloud’s back, even after the blonde relented and wrapped his arms around Zack, too.

His face pressed against Zack’s chest. “I don’t feel good,” Cloud muttered. “Where’s your--” Cloud swallowed thickly “--bathroom?” He lifted his head to look up at the taller man and Zack swore he saw Cloud turn green before the blonde pushed away and speedily walked toward the back of the apartment, hand clasped over his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

Tifa sighed as she set her phone down. She had tried calling Cloud three times now and still no answer, not even a response to her text messages and it made her sick to her stomach. Despite being a busy man, Cloud rarely left her in the dark about what he was doing or where he was going. She thought they had good enough communication, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

“Nothing?” Yuffie said.

Tifa shook her head, set her phone on the counter but not so far out of eyesight that she couldn’t see the screen light up. “I’m about ready to go out there and look for him myself. He said he would be back later, but that was over a day ago.”

“He’s probably fine,” Yuffie assured her. “He’s Cloud freakin’ Strife, for Gaia’s sake! I think he can handle himself.”

“That’s not why I’m worried.” Tifa frowned as she glanced down at the phone, willing it to ring with a phone call from Cloud, but nothing came through. She sighed again. “I can’t believe this,” she said and she slipped off the stool to round the counter at the bar. She needed to busy herself with something other than worrying about Cloud ‘freakin’ Strife, as Yuffie put it. Tifa grabbed some of the clean glasses and put them away carefully for tomorrow’s business. Occasionally, though, her eyes would drift to the phone.

Not a moment later and Marlene hopped down the stairs to join them. “Tifa!” the girl chirped, dressed now in her nightgown as it was close to her bed time. “Is Cloud back yet?” She often slept there when Barret was away on work and today was one of those days.

Tifa turned to face Marlene. It was a struggle not to look as worried as she felt, but she somehow pulled it off. “No, sweetie, not yet. He said it’ll be a little longer.”

Marlene frowned at that, disappointed. “He said he would take us to the church this afternoon. He said we could pick some flowers there for Aerith and put them in the vase.”

Tifa abandoned her task at the bar and came down to Marlene’s level. She reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “I know, but he’s not back yet and he’s sorry about that. It’s taking him more time that he thought it would.” She hated lying to the girl, especially now that she was getting older, getting wiser, but Cloud gave her no choice.

“I can always take you,” Yuffie offered. “Tomorrow morning, maybe. We could all go together.”

Tifa smiled up at the girl and nodded, but Marlene wouldn’t have it. “No,” she muttered, heart broken. “It’s not the same without Cloud.” Marlene turned to make her way back upstairs again, lip quivering, practically on the verge of tears. She kept them in despite her disappointment and disappeared into her room.

At the sound of the gentle clicking of her bedroom door as it shut, Tifa stared at Yuffie and said, “I’m going out there.”

“Tifa, wait. What if he comes back soon? You said it’s only been a day and I’m sure he’s been gone longer than this before.”

“Yeah, and he’s always told me when he was going to be away for a while,” Tifa reminded her. “This isn’t like him.”

“You can’t keep tabs on him all the time, though. What if he got distracted and lost track of time?”

“Cloud may not always answer his phone right away, but he does eventually get back to me.” Tifa grabbed her cell phone and shoved it in her pocket, grabbed everything else she would need to make the trek to wherever she was going. She would figure it out along the way. 

“Maybe you should call Reeve first,” Yuffie suggested as she followed Tifa to the door. “Maybe he knows where he is.”

“Cloud told me this wasn’t about work. If it was, he would’ve called back by now.” Nothing about work was more important than her, he had said in the past.

“So call Reeve anyway,” Yuffie said softly, trying to talk some sense into Tifa. “What can it hurt? Before you go, call Reeve and see if he knows anything. If he doesn’t, then you can go out there and try to find him, but you’re not leaving me here to man the bar all by myself.”

Tifa stared at Yuffie, considering the suggestion. For once in a blue moon, Yuffie had a good head on her shoulders, was the rational one. Tifa pulled her phone out and dialed Reeve’s number but got his message machine instead. She left him a quick but straightforward request to call her back about any news of Cloud and hung up. “I’m going,” she said. “Tell Marlene she can call me if she gets worried. You call me, too, if anything happens. And tell Barret where I am if I’m not back when he returns.”

Yuffie heaved a heavy sigh. She watched as Tifa left the bar, hands on her hips. Once the door was closed and locked behind her, she turned to face the sizeable room and stared up at the ceiling, mumbling something in Wutaian.

~

Cloud woke in an unfamiliar bed. He peeled his tired eyes open, still heavy with exhaustion. It felt like he hadn’t slept at all, but that wasn’t true. He knew he had to have slept at least a couple of hours because the sun had gone down and the room was nearly pitch black. The movement beside him startled Cloud and he shot a glance over his shoulder, shifted so he could face Zack who had parked himself on the bed beside him. Zack leaned against the headboard, one leg crossed over the other, sitting in the darkness.

Zack set his phone aside. “You’re awake.”

Cloud pushed himself upright, rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”

“A little after three in the morning.”

It took a moment to register, but Cloud nodded and a thought came to mind. “Tifa.”

“Your phone was blowing up while you slept. You should really get back to her. She’s probably really worried about you,” Zack said.

Cloud knew that. He reached for his phone and winced at the light from the screen, saw he had three missed calls and four text messages from Tifa to no surprise. If he were her, he’d be worried, too.

“You should let her know you’re alright.”

Cloud set the phone aside for the time being. The room fell dark again when he closed the screen. “I know.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Because I’m going to have to explain why I’ve left her in the dark for so long. I told her I had something to do and I wasn’t even sure what it was, but that I’d get back to her soon. Now that I’ve been here over a day later and she’s probably worried sick.”

“Have you done something wrong?”

Cloud hesitated to answer that question. Had he? He didn’t think he had. The only thing he might be guilty of was not responding right away, but he figured he had good reason not to. It was the matter of explaining to her why he hadn’t gotten in touch that Cloud dreaded. “No,” he said softly. 

Zack swung his legs off the bed and stood up. “Call her,” he told him. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

The look on Cloud’s face forced Zack to linger in the doorway. “What if she doesn’t believe me?” Cloud said. “What if she--” This situation, his situation was a little too much to explain.

“I don’t think you’re the kind of guy who’d lie like that.” Zack paused and smiled weakly. He looked tired, too, but he pushed that aside and slipped out of the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind him.

Cloud grabbed his phone again, stared at the screen. His stomach turned, sending waves of nausea crashing over it. He made the plunge anyway and hit the speed dial for Tifa’s number. She answered halfway through the first ring almost as if she was sitting awake and waiting for his call.

“Cloud? Where are you? What happened? Is everything alright?” she asked, the anxiety in her voice as clear as day.

“I’m fine,” Cloud told her as he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you.”

“Well, why didn’t you? I’ve been worried sick. I even went around the whole city a couple of times looking for you...” She paused. “That might’ve been overkill, but I thought maybe something bad happened.”

“You’re right. I should have called, but--” Cloud brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed it, squeezed his head a little while he pressed his eyes shut. It was starting to hurt now. “Something really weird happened.”

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

The silence between them rang loudly, more so than any shouting he could do. Cloud took a few moments to gather his thoughts before answering. He was trying to describe an indescribable thing, something he could hardly believe himself.

“Reeve took me to an apartment not far from the bar, but he wouldn’t tell me why or whose it was...not until I got there.” Cloud hesitated again. It sounded so bizarre coming off his lips. “Zack is alive, Tifa.”

He could imagine her face, the look of confusion, the way her brow must be furrowed. “I’m sorry?” was all she could manage to say.

“I guess...before, back when we escaped and tried to come to Midgar--” Cloud paused mid-sentence and shook his head. Trying to explain this over the phone wouldn’t do. She would have to be here to believe it. “Look, you just...you need to come here and see this yourself.”

“It’s three a.m., Cloud. You want me to come out there because you think Zack is alive?” Tifa asked.

Because he thought Zack was alive? Tifa must have misheard him. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I don’t think he’s alive, Tifa. He’s in the other room right now and I can hardly believe it myself. Please, just...come here.”

Tifa heaved a heavy sigh. “Alright,” she said after a few seconds of thought. “Text me the address and I’ll come right now.”

“I will,” he said and he ended the call, immediately forwarding the address Reeve had texted him. The apartment wasn’t far from the bar, maybe ten minutes through the city streets during the daytime and with traffic, but she would be there in less than that once she was ready.

Cloud figured he should tell Zack she was headed there, too. He got up after taking a few minutes to himself and joined the man in the living room, sitting next to Zack on the couch. “She’s coming over,” he said. “Is that okay?”

Zack stared. It was hard to put an emotion to his facial expression, but he answered eventually. “If she’s already on her way, I guess. This is a kind of ‘have-to-see-it-to-believe-it’ type thing, so I understand. How much time do I have?”

Cloud glanced at his phone. “Ten minutes? We’re not that far away.”

“We?” Zack echoed.

“The bar isn’t…”

“You don’t live together?”

Cloud shook his head.

Zack leaned back against the couch and sighed. “I don’t really know much more about your relationship with her, only what you’ve told me in the past, but I always thought you two might end up together. You seemed so nervous around her when we were in Nibelheim, so I was pretty sure it was a crush.”

Cloud’s face flushed a bit. He was glad it was dark in there even though Zack shared the same mutations. “We did...end up together. It didn’t last long.”

Zack glanced at Cloud. “Can I ask why?”

Again, Cloud struggled to answer the question. He figured he owed him an explanation given how much he had missed out on in the last few years. “Don’t get me wrong, I love her. I’ll never stop loving her. I--” He paused, turning over all the thoughts in his mind that he had ever thought about him and her together. It hurt too much to consider too deeply. “I’m not good enough. She deserves someone better than me.”

Zack cocked his head. “Not good enough? Of course you’re good enough.” He gently slapped Cloud’s shoulder for encouragement and smiled. “If you love her then you should be together.”

Cloud glanced at Zack and let his gaze linger before breaking it away. He opened his mouth to say something when soft knocking at the front door interrupted him. They both stared at one another before Cloud stood and told Zack to hang tight. One glance at his phone and he was surprised to see nearly fifteen minutes had passed since he had made the phone call. She had gotten there quickly. He didn’t want to shock Tifa right off the bat, not like he had been taken off guard when he arrived.

“I’m here.” Tifa kept her voice low since it was still early in the morning. 

Cloud stepped aside to let her in, but he wasn’t expecting her to back into him. He barely registered the gasp she let out until she collided against his arm. She had thrown her hand over her mouth and stared wide-eyed at Zack who stood from the couch.

Zack smiled awkwardly at her. “Hey.”

“Oh my god,” Tifa whimpered behind her hand. “Oh my god, oh my god.”

Cloud held onto her as she tried to remain upright herself. Her hand came down and she slowly approached Zack. His crooked smile grew, but Cloud could see he was exhausted and putting on a show. 

Tifa reached out for Zack, clearly unsure if he was real or not. He lifted his hand, palm facing the ceiling, and she touched his wrist. She glanced over her shoulder at Cloud and looked back to Zack. “How? I…”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out this whole time I’ve been here,” Cloud told her. “It’s like I’m seeing a ghost.”

“I can assure you I am not a ghost,” Zack said and he suggested they all sit down so that they could have the conversation again with Tifa. It took time to explain and she took even more time to register what she had been told, but they went through everything starting from when Shinra had retrieved him off the cliff.

“I can’t believe this,” Tifa said. Her brow furrowed as she watched the two men sitting next to one another on the couch. She had parked herself on the armchair. “I just...how could anyone allow this to happen?”

“I guess it’ll take some time to get used to. I’m still struggling with it myself,” Zack said.

“So...that’s it? You’re back and no one’s going to say or do anything about what happened?” Tifa frowned. “It seems like someone should pay for what they did to you.”

“What can he do?” Cloud said. “Who do we blame for this? Rufus wasn’t even president when it happened and his father is long dead. There’s no one to blame here. Those MPs were following orders.”

Tifa leaned back in the chair, crossed her arms over her chest. “I still think this should be an outrage.”

“If it makes you feel better, Reeve has done a lot for me,” Zack explained. “He made sure nothing shady was going on and that I had the best care. And now I have this place...so I’m not really complaining. It’s not like I can do much about it either.” He paused, thinking. “What would I do, anyway?”

Tifa frowned, pursed her lips. “Still.” She paused. The room fell silent and it hung heavily in the air among them. “After what Sephiroth did and then Shinra…”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” Zack said and shrugged, “but the last thing I need to do is go on a rampage. I can’t change what happened and the most important thing is that I’m back. That’s the best I could hope for.”

Tifa glanced at Zack, then looked at Cloud. He could tell she was still trying to piece everything together. “I just can’t believe this.”

“Believing will take time,” Cloud told her. 

“What about everyone else?” Tifa dropped her hands down and onto the arms of the chair. “What are we going to tell them?”

Zack looked between both of them. “How many people know about me?”

“Just close friends,” Cloud said.

“And if they ask about Aerith?”

Cloud could see Zack wince out of the corner of his eyes, but he ignored that for the time being. “Then we’ll tell them.”

“Tell them what?” Zack asked.

“That...well, she had mentioned you a couple of times,” Cloud explained, “before what happened to her.”

Zack stood and paced nervously but stopped in the middle of the room. “I think I need some air.” He slipped out of the balcony door and shut it softly behind him.

Cloud stood after a few moments and excused himself to slip outside on the balcony with Zack. “Hey,” he said, keeping his voice down. He leaned on the balcony beside Zack, their arms brushing.

“It’s hard hearing she’s gone,” Zack said as he stared out over the side of the building into nothing in particular. He didn’t have a good view of the city there. Didn’t need it. Didn’t want it.

“I’m sorry.” Cloud watched Zack. The moonlight barely lit his features up and sent shadows across his face.

Zack chuckled softly, but he had to force it. “It’s not your fault.”

Cloud winced at that. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to get too deeply into his insecurities about whether he had been a good enough friend and protector, especially since he hadn’t been able to save Aerith, the one girl he knew Zack had loved and confided in. Even if they never had that conversation, Cloud had to let go of it some day.

Zack shifted his weight to the other leg. “Maybe Tifa is right. Maybe I should be really upset about everything.”

Cloud didn’t say anything, just listened.

“One moment I feel like I should be causing a ruckus, but then when I think about being angry it just makes me even more sad.” Zack chuckled, though it lacked humor. He sighed and shook his head. “It makes me sad to think about how much I’ve missed out on...how many people I’ve lost without even knowing it.”

Cloud’s stomach turned at the thought. He couldn’t help but feel like maybe he was to blame for some of those losses. “I’m still sorry,” he said after a moment of silence.

Zack smiled weakly at Cloud, eyelids heavy with sleep. He lifted his arm, pat Cloud on the back. “I appreciate it.” Now he was just ignoring the fact that he had previously been anxious and upset, but Cloud wouldn’t say anything about it. Now wasn’t the time to point out heavy emotions and examine them.

“You should get some rest,” Cloud said. “You must’ve been up this whole time.”

As if on cue, Zack yawned and didn’t try to stifle it. “Maybe,” he said and he stood upright away from the balcony rail.

“Do you want us to go?” Cloud asked as he followed Zack back into the living room. He noticed Tifa on her cell phone sending someone a text message.

“You don’t have to,” Zack said. “Actually...I mean, I don’t know if this is asking too much, but I’d kind of feel better if you guys stayed.” He chuckled and shook his head, scratched the back of his neck. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I know you’ve got your thing going on and Tifa has the bar.”

Tifa chimed in. “We can stay.” She looked to Cloud and smiled softly. “Right?”

Cloud hesitated but only for a second. He nodded. “Yeah, we can stay.”

Zack blinked, surprised. “Really?”

“Mhm! It’ll be a sleepover,” she said. “We can all just sleep out here if that’s okay. We can make little beds and just rest. I’m sure we’re all very tired.”

Cloud shared a glance with Tifa but he looked to Zack who moved toward the hallway.

“I’ve got linens in the closet.” Zack pulled down some sheets and extra pillows, but he had to pull the rest off his bed. They each made their own spot on the floor, but Zack insisted Tifa sleep on the couch and she relented. She had already sent Yuffie a text that she was going to be out again for a little bit. She told Cloud this so that he wasn’t out of the loop.

Not ten minutes after Zack’s head hit the pillow and he was snoring softly, no louder than his natural breathing. 

Cloud rolled onto his side and looked up at the couch where Tifa lay. He reached up and touched her arm gently with the tip of his finger. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this sooner,” he whispered, not wanting to wake Zack.

Tifa turned onto her side, tucked her arm under her head. Some of her hair spilled over the side of her face, but she tucked it behind her ear. “You don’t have to be sorry. I get it now.”

Cloud sighed and turned onto his back. His mind raced. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep now, but the least he could do was apologize for making Tifa worry.

“Let’s just try to get some rest,” she said. “We’ll have to take this one day at a time.”

Cloud nodded and looked up at her in the darkness. He could see her clearly and even she looked tired. Probably from all the worry he caused her. Tifa rolled onto her other side, her back facing him now. “Goodnight, Cloud. Try to sleep.” She knew better than anyone that sleep had never come easy to him, that he would probably struggle even now. The least he could do was make an effort. He pulled the covers higher up over his chest and placed his hands on top. Sometime during the night, he fell to sleep without too much trouble. Maybe having both Zack and Tifa nearby lended the comfort he needed to give his brain a break.


	6. Chapter 6

Tifa woke early that morning, just before sunrise, and immediately her eyes moved down to where Cloud slept peacefully below her on the floor. He had rolled onto his side sometime during the middle of the night, which he always did. She could never sleep like that, on her side. Found it uncomfortable to have her shoulders squished like that. But how Cloud could sleep with his pauldron on--and that thing had little spikes, too--Tifa would never understand. What baffled her the most was how he was still asleep on the floor below her. Like clockwork, every single time he slept over, he would rouse from a nightmare and end up on the balcony overlooking the city. It wasn’t like that this time. Instead, Zack’s makeshift bed on the floor was empty and that piqued her curiosity.

She crawled off the sofa and carefully crawled around Cloud so as not to wake him. She made her way to the small balcony outside the apartment and found Zack sitting huddled in a chair, arms hugging himself as it was cold, just a few weeks before the start of winter. 

“Can’t sleep?” she asked as she stepped out and shut the balcony door behind her.

Zack glanced up at Tifa. His bright blue eyes gleamed in the moonlight. “Yeah. Had a bad dream.”

Tifa moved to the railing and leaned against it. “Do you want to talk?”

Zack considered the offer, but it took him a moment to respond. “It’s nothing. Look, I’m really sorry I dragged you into this. I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“You didn’t drag me into anything.” Tifa crossed her arms over her chest once she started to feel the cold. “I was curious and...well, to be honest, I didn’t believe Cloud when he told me you were alive. I feel kind of bad for saying what I said to him.”

“I’m sure he understands.”

Tifa nodded, bit her bottom lip. She hoped so, but that remained to be seen. “You made a huge impact on him, Zack. It took a while to realize it, but you were a bigger role model than some glorified war hero on an impressionable young kid. Sephiroth was untouchable. You were tangible, you were there for him.”

“He was a nice guy,” Zack said, grimacing. “Sephiroth. I know what he did was inexcusable, but none of you knew him like I did before...what happened. That’s not an excuse, though. I’m not trying to explain his behaviors. I’m just saying that this whole thing was one huge mess that no one could change. We all got caught up in it and Cloud finished it--apparently.”

Tifa smirked ever so subtly at that. “Either way, I can only imagine how this is going to change things for him, for all of us. Part of the reason why he is the way he is is because of you, because of Aerith.”

Zack lowered his gaze at her name. Tifa had hit a sore spot.

“I’m sorry,” she said when she realized it.

Zack shook his head. “It’s just hard to hear she’s not around anymore.” His words faltered a bit as he struggled to fight off what sounded like tears threatening to spill over his cheeks. “It’s hard to hear she’s gone. Even harder knowing I never got to say goodbye properly.”

Tifa pushed away from the railing and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She squeezed it, trying to comfort him the best way she knew how given they hardly knew one another. “You would have been so proud of her and everything she did for us.” Tifa fought back tears if only for Zack’s sake.

“I know.” Zack sighed and quickly wiped his face. If he was crying, she could hardly tell. But she pulled her hand away anyway. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get like this.”

“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot. I can only imagine what it’s been like.” She could tell Zack was in a fragile place himself and the last thing she wanted to do was push him over the edge. “It’s amazing, though, to have you here. Cloud has told me so much about you, I feel like you’re already a good friend of mine.” The only time they had met was in Nibelheim and that had not ended well for anyone. 

“He talks about me?” Zack asked.

Tifa nodded. “Mhm. It comes out every now and then since Cloud doesn’t like to talk about his service in the military. When he does talk about it, you’re usually part of the story.”

That seemed to make Zack feel better. He even gave her a hint of a smile. “We did have a lot of fun when we were together. I really miss that.”

“You can have it again,” Tifa observed. “And I can introduce you to everyone else.”

“Everyone else?” Zack echoed.

“We met a lot of amazing people who helped us along the way to defeat Sephiroth.” Tifa tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “One of them is at the bar right now. And another flies in at least once a week to do deliveries. You could meet them first...if it’s not too much. I don’t want to bombard you with all these people.”

“You don’t think it would be weird?” Zack asked.

Tifa sighed. “Maybe. Only a few of them know about you, I think. I don’t know how much Cloud has shared with them. Oh, and one of them used to be a Turk a long time ago.”

“A Turk. A long time ago?”

Tifa smiled at Zack’s confusion. “It’s a long story. You’ll meet them all in time.”

“I’d like that.” Zack smiled again, though only a soft expression. “Your bar. What’s the name of it again?”

“The Seventh Heaven. We started out in the sector 7 slums before President Shinra dropped the plate. That...is a whole different story, but I don’t think we should talk about it right now. When you feel like you’re ready, I’d love it if you would come visit the bar. Marlene and Denzel will absolutely love you.”

“Who are they?” 

Tifa smiled. She could just imagine their faces when he walked in through the front door, how much in awe they would be of his appearance and stature. “Well, Marlene is Barret’s little girl. Barret is a friend of mine who I met in Midgar before Cloud and I reunited again. And Denzel is a boy Cloud rescued. He’s been with us ever since.”

Zack nodded at that. He took it in stride, accepted things for what they were. “Are you sure I won’t be getting in the way? Reeve told me Cloud works for him, and as general no less. That’s a pretty important job. I can imagine how busy he must be doing that and how busy you are running the bar.”

“I can’t answer for Cloud, but I feel like I know what he would say and I’m pretty sure he would say that’s nonsense. Besides, he’s...a little stubborn when he wants to be. He would quit what he’s doing at the drop of a hat if something more important came along, and it has. You’re back now. There’s no question he will want to reconnect with you.”

Zack glanced at the window, back at where Cloud was still asleep in the living room. He turned his gaze to Tifa and stared up at her. 

“I’m sorry, Zack, but you’re a part of our lives now if Cloud has anything to say about it.” Tifa smiled at him as though to say she was sorry.

“I really do appreciate that, Tifa. More than you’ll ever know,” Zack said.

They sat in silence for a moment before she moved to the sliding glass door. She grabbed the handle but didn’t pull it open just yet. “Cloud wouldn’t be the person I know him to be now if it weren’t for you.”

“Well, maybe not entirely.”

“More than you know,” Tifa told him. She glanced through the window to see Cloud was still asleep now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. “I should go. I need to get back to the bar before the kids wake up. Yuffie has been good enough to hold down the fort and I’ve already been gone long enough.”

Zack stood to walk her out but she told him she was fine. 

“Get some rest,” Tifa said. “Will you let Cloud know I went back home?”

Zack nodded. “I will.”

“Thank you.” She pulled the sliding glass door open and slipped back inside, shutting it softly. Tifa moved across the living room, relieved to find Cloud still asleep. He hadn’t moved an inch even after she had stepped over him. She wanted to say goodbye, but she knew they would see one another again soon. For now, he needed his rest and she wouldn’t take that from him. Tifa left the apartment and made her way back to the bar only to find Yuffie awake. Either she had stayed that way all night or she had woken up early. It didn’t matter much since the young woman seemed irritated with her.

“I thought you’d never come back!” Yuffie hissed. “Where the heck have you been all night?”

“It’s a long story,” Tifa said. “Cloud needed my help with something.”

“So he’s okay?”

Tifa locked the door behind her and moved to the bar. “Mhm. He’s fine.”

Yuffie followed. “See--what did I tell you? Cloud can take care of himself.”

“You were right. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

Yuffie crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Tifa move to the fridge and pull out a drink. “It’s okay. I know how much Cloud means to you. If it were me, I’d feel the same way.”

It hurt to have to hear it from Yuffie, but the young woman had hit the nose on the head. Cloud did mean a lot to her. More than she could ever explain to anyone. Now that Zack was back in the picture meant things between him and her would change. She wasn’t sure how exactly that would happen, but it would happen no matter how much she didn’t want it to and it made her stomach twist and turn with nerves. “Are the kids still asleep?” Tifa opened the bottle of water and took a sip, needing another quickly after that.

Yuffie nodded proudly as though she had handled a near impossible feat. “It took a while, but Marlene was really upset last night. She almost guilt tripped me into letting her go look for you and I was like, ‘no way, kiddo. You’re, what, four years old?’”

“Seven,” Tifa corrected her. 

“Okay, okay. Seven. ‘You’re seven years old and Tifa would kill me if I let you outside at this time of night by yourself.’”

“You’re right. I would have...if Barret hadn’t gotten to you first. You know how protective he is of her.”

“Psh. You think I want him pointing that gun arm in my face? No thank you.” Yuffie sighed but it was quickly followed by a yawn.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and rest now that I’m back,” Tifa suggested.

It didn’t take much to convince Yuffie to do just that. She gave in with little argument and told Tifa she should rest as well. The sun wouldn’t rise for a few more hours, and the bar wouldn’t open for a little longer after that. She had plenty of time to catch a few more winks, but she knew it would be difficult to fall asleep now.

~

Cloud woke hours after sunrise. Zack watched him sleep from where he sat on the armchair. That was, after he cleaned the bedding on the floor and on the couch left behind by him and Tifa. The clutter made him feel anxious for some reason, and tidying the room subdued the feeling. He noticed he was on edge more often than not as of late, but Zack assumed it might settle once he got back into the swing of things. For now, all he could do was go with the flow. Whatever happened, happened.

The blonde peeled his tired eyes open first. He rubbed the sleep from them and blinked, staring at Zack from his upside down position. Cloud righted himself and stared around the room as if searching for something. “Where’s Tifa?” he slurred, voice husky with drowsiness.

“She went back to the bar.” Zack stood and moved to Cloud’s feet. He offered the younger man his hand and hoisted Cloud off the floor. Cloud immediately leaned down to pick up the blankets, but Zack stopped him. “Just put it on the couch. I can put it away later.”

Cloud hesitated and stared at his friend. “Are you sure?”

Zack nodded, “Yeah,” and changed the subject. “When’s the last time you had something to eat?” Even back when they were in the military together, and while he did have muscle definition now and being born with a smaller stature anyway, Zack didn’t recall Cloud being as thin as he was.

Cloud had to think about that for a moment as he didn’t respond right away. “I honestly don’t remember.” 

“That won’t do.” Zack clucked his tongue in disapproval and moved to the kitchen to rifle through the refrigerator. “Well, we have some basics: eggs, bread, bacon…you like those, right?”

Cloud shrugged. He didn’t care, it seemed.

Zack pulled the ingredients out and set them on the counter. “It’s been a while since I’ve cooked anything, but how hard can it be?” He grabbed a pan and some butter, jelly as well to put on the toast when it was done cooking. “Maybe I’ll ask for them to bring me some better stuff. This will do for now, though. Hey, Cloud. Would you man the toaster?” Zack asked as he fiddled with the knobs on the stove. He didn’t realize Cloud was watching him until a few moments later. “What?”

“Are you alright?” Cloud had already slipped the bread inside the toaster, so he turned his attention to his friend. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Zack turned the knob to high and stood up straight, proudly pushed his shoulders back in triumph. “There!”

“That might be a little too hot,” Cloud warned. 

Zack frowned. “What do you mean too hot? Don’t you want your pan to be ripping?”

The faintest ghost of a smirk pulled at the corner of Cloud’s mouth. He turned his gaze from Zack and watched the toaster instead.

“Well, why don’t you take over since you’re such a capable chef,” Zack teased, stepping back. They traded places. Zack manned the toaster while Cloud immediately turned the heat down on the pan to something in the medium range. He scooped a spoonful of butter from the tub and let it sizzle not to a brown color but so that it was melted, mostly, and then added the eggs. 

“You don’t want to leave them on too long. They will cook a little even after you take them off,” Cloud said, stirring the eggs every now and then with a rubber spatula, even removing the pan every so often from the heat to keep them from drying out.

Zack couldn’t help but smile as he watched the display. “Aren’t you the little Holly Homemaker,” he teased and Cloud scrunched his nose. Zack just laughed. 

“I cook for the kids sometimes,” Cloud said, eyes still on the pan and quite obviously remembering a specific time when he had treated the children to breakfast. He added some salt and pepper to taste once the eggs were almost done.

“Marlene and Denzel?”

That was when Cloud looked at Zack, confused. “How do you know?”

“Tifa told me. We chatted on the balcony this morning. Said she had to get back to the bar before the kids woke up.” When the toast popped out of the toaster, he grabbed it and tossed it on a plate. “I don’t know why they gave me a four-slotted toaster. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much bread in my life at once.”

“Reiben usually goes overboard when Reeve asks him to do things,” Cloud explained. He stirred the eggs a bit longer, making sure the whites weren’t runny. “He wanted to decorate my office but I told him that wasn’t necessary. I’m not in there enough to want or need decorations.”

“Sounds kind of weird hearing you have an office.” Zack grabbed the butter and smeared it over his toast, silently asking if Cloud wanted some on his with a point of the knife. Cloud shook his head.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel weird to me either,” Cloud replied.

“How long have you been working with Reeve?”

“Just under a year. I used to have a delivery service, but that went stale and more important things came up.”

Zack nodded. He liked listening to Cloud talk. He had never been much of a talker even back when he was just a lowly MP, but this felt normal. Felt right. It felt like he had never gone away at all, and that brought Zack tremendous comfort.

“He hasn’t found anyone to replace me and I’m beginning to worry.” Cloud removed the pan from the heat completely once the eggs were done cooking and scooped them onto the plates for him and Zack.

“Why are you worried?”

Cloud was silent as he thought. He set the pan back on the stove for the time being and put the lid over it in case they wanted more. “This wasn’t something I signed up to do for the long term.” While that sounded like the truth, Zack figured there was more. After all, Reeve had explained that Cloud was taking care of business before they were reunited. 

Zack moved to the living room and sat on the couch. Eating at the dining table felt too formal, so this would do nicely. “I know you’re busy,” he said, piling the eggs on the slice of toast with butter and jelly. “Makes me feel like I’m intruding on your life.”

Cloud stared at Zack, a hint of fear in his eyes. “You aren’t intruding on anything.”

“Yeah, well...you say that, but you’ve got your work and Tifa and the bar and the kids.” Zack took a bite of his concoction, chewed, and swallowed so he wasn’t spitting food out as he talked. “I would hate to get in the middle of all that.”

“That’s not what you would be doing,” Cloud mumbled.

Zack smiled, not wanting Cloud to think he was insisting on taking a step back. If Cloud wanted him in his life then he would be there. He just had to get his concerns out before anything more happened.

“You’re still my friend,” Cloud added in a somewhat meek tone. “That never changed.”

“You’re mine, too. Okay? If you want me in your life, then I’ll be in it,” Zack told him and he continued to eat his food. He ate most of it before saying anything more. “Tifa told me I should come to the bar and meet everyone.”

Cloud had made it halfway through his meal while Zack was almost done with his. “Yuffie is there now helping with the kids. Barret and Marlene live with Tifa at the bar, so they’re there all the time.”

“I would like to meet them.” Zack scooped the remaining egg with toast and popped it into his mouth.

“Do you want to see them today?” Cloud asked.

He had to admit he wasn’t expecting the offer, but, if he was being honest with himself, Zack didn’t want Cloud to leave just yet. The more time they could spend together the better. He wouldn’t tell that to Cloud outright, though. Didn’t want to scare the blonde into thinking he had gotten in over his head. Needy wasn’t a good look for Zack. Needy wasn’t a good look for anyone, really, but especially not him.

“Yeah,” Zack said with a smile. He said it as coolly as possible. “I would like that.”

Cloud nodded, finally finished the rest of the food on his plate, though not as much as Zack had to begin with. “I need to shower and change first. We can stop by my place before heading to the bar.”

Zack perked up at the thought of being able to see where Cloud lived. The two of them worked together to clean the kitchen and the rest of the linens in the living room. It took no more than twenty minutes. And once Zack had cleaned and dressed in fresh clothes himself, he told Cloud he was ready.

~

“You told me you had a bike,” Zack said, wide-eyed as he stared at the beautiful machine, “but I wasn’t expecting this!” He traced his fingertips over the cool metal, over the different textures of the body and over the smooth leather of the seat. Fenrir had served Cloud well over the last few years. He tried, it seemed, to keep extra special care of it. That much became apparent when he revved the engine and it roared to life. “Seriously awesome!” the black-haired man chirped.

Cloud climbed on first and positioned himself forward so that Zack could ride comfortably behind him. “Maybe one of these days I’ll let you take it for a spin.” He booted the kickstand up with his foot and balanced the bike on one leg.

Zack hopped onto the back and settled against Cloud. They couldn’t ride too fast through the city streets on any given day, but he gripped the blonde around the waist firmly so as not to fall off. After all, he hadn’t been on a bike in years, and he hadn’t ridden on the back of one for even longer. “I’ll hold you to it!” he said over the roar of the engine. 

It took a lot for Zack not to look in every direction. The only other time he had been through the city was when the car picked him up from the hospital to take him to his new apartment. Aside from that, Zack hadn’t had a chance to explore anything beyond the front door or the balcony. Maybe Cloud would offer to give him a tour of the city sometime in the future. For now, he would at least get to see his apartment and the bar.

Cloud parked in his usual spot with the bike out of the way, tucked into a small private alley beside the one-story apartment. He led Zack inside the quaint building, though there were other apartments attached to it from the left. Cloud had a corner unit. He hadn’t bothered with anything fancy despite his title and reputation, just a little place in a random, quiet neighborhood. It had hardwood floors throughout and a somewhat similar set up to Zack’s place, but it felt a bit smaller if he was guessing.

Zack eyed every nook and cranny but made it a point not to seem nosy, at least not until Cloud left the room.

“I’ll be back in a few,” the blonde said as he made his way to the bedroom. He paused in the hallway and told Zack to make himself comfortable before disappearing.

Upon closer inspection, Zack realized Cloud mostly left out his personal touches and kept things to the bare minimum. If he had to guess, Zack thought the afghan on the couch and the rug on the floor had to have been Tifa’s idea. While Cloud did have a couch, a small table, and a television in the living room and everything you would need to adequately make a basic meal in the kitchen, there wasn’t much else. He did have a few pictures of him and Tifa together, as well as what looked like a group of quite a few people. There was even one with two children as well, a girl and a boy, who Zack assumed was Marlene and Denzel.

Zack rummaged through the fridge and found there were some condiments and drinks, but no real food to speak of. The cupboards contained only non-perishables and not many of those; things like canned vegetables, rice, and beans. When he heard the shower turn off, Zack cut his exploration short and returned to the sofa. Cloud joined him, sporting fresh clothes and different boots. His hair looked exactly the same, even though he had only stepped out of the shower no more than five minutes ago. It was a wonder how it stayed up like that.

Cloud adjusted the zipper on his shirt and said, “I text Tifa to let her know we’re coming.”

Zack stood from the couch, ready to take another ride on the bike. He didn’t mention anything about the apartment or lack of personal possessions, just went along and occasionally glanced left and right on their way to the bar. The city weirdly reminded him of Midgar’s upper plate. A ghost of his past come back to haunt him. Zack shook the feeling from his head and focused on holding tight to Cloud so as not to fall off.

He lifted his head as Cloud slowed the bike and stared up at the angel staring down at him from overhead. She stood on a thin bridge connecting the bar to another building across the road, wings extended in a celestial display of reverence. Zack found himself transfixed by her heavenly appearance, and it wasn’t until Cloud pulled out of view and rounded the corner that Zack snapped out of his stupor. He felt so out of place, so unwelcome in a city he had only just begun to explore that his guts churned with nausea. Zack swallowed the sensation in a thick lump down his throat and followed Cloud inside.


	7. Chapter 7

“Cid.” Both girls glanced up from the bar when the pilot strode inside. He looked to be on a mission, didn’t even have a cigarette hanging from between his lips, which meant he hadn’t the time to light one. “What are you doing here?” Tifa asked.

“Where’s Cloud?” Cid glanced around and looked to Tifa when he didn’t see the blonde. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of him. Well, I only tried once and I didn’t tell him what it was for, so maybe he just didn’t get the message. Is he gone back out to the ruins?”

Tifa glanced at Yuffie, confused, and then turned her curious gaze back to Cid. “No. Why? What’s going on?”

“You mean you haven’t seen the news?” Cid grabbed the remote to the television hanging from the back wall and turned it on, switched the channel to a local new station.

_“...witnesses say the creature was spotted near the western border of the city, specifically in a local farm on the outskirts of town, Mr. Heyward’s, backyard. We interviewed him and his family earlier today. Hear what he had to say about the encounter:_

_‘You say the creature spotted you first?’_ the reporter asked. She tilted the microphone toward the older gentleman to let him speak.

Mr. Heyward nodded. _‘Yeah, when I looked up at him he was lookin’ at me dead in the eyes. Acted more like a coyote than some scary monster everyone’s been talkin’ about. I heard rumors and such, ‘bout that man they attacked in his truck on the highway. Sounded like they’d be more dangerous up close and personal, but this one didn’t do nothin’ at all.’_

_‘Can you describe to me what the creature looked like?’_

_‘Well sure.’_ Mr. Heyward shifted his weight from one leg to the other, took his hat off his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. _‘I was pretty far away, but it had to’ve been as tall as me on all fours. It passed by this big ol’ bush out there real far down the field.’ He indicated with his arm, pointing toward the back of his property. ‘This thing was long. I mean as long as my truck sittin’ over there. An’ it was real skinny, like skin and bones. I couldn’t see the details too good, but it looked like it had this black leathery skin pulled over its skeleton. Had claws prolly the size of my head and a tail almost as long as its body.’_

_‘Can you tell me what it was doing?’_

_‘Looked like it was just passin’ through iffin’ I’m bein’ honest. Thought it might wanna tussle with me if I got too close so I kept my distance. Made sure I had a clear path to the house in case I needed to run inside, but it just stared at me for a while and then ran back down the hill over there, back toward the ruins.’_ Mr. Heyward paused but only briefly. _‘If I’da known that block they put up wasn’t gonna work, I’d consider movin’ the farm out to Kalm or some place else. They told us they was gonna take care of it and now they’re comin’ into town?’_

Cid muted the television and set the remote on the counter while the news story continued to play. “Sounds like this guy and two other people spotted at least three of them in the last two days,” he explained. “I thought Cloud might be out there checking things out, but if he’s not here...” 

Just then, Tifa’s phone chirped to indicate she had a text message, which she read silently. “He’ll be coming over in a bit.”

“So he’s in the city?” Cid asked.

“Yeah.” Tifa paused, bit her lip and tapped her index finger on the wood of the counter. She carefully considered everything that had happened the night before, everything that had happened subsequently the next morning. There was no getting past it. Cloud had indicated to her that he was bringing Zack to the bar, and with Yuffie staying there for the time being, with Cid dropping in every now and then, with Barret and the kids under her roof, she couldn’t keep quiet about it any longer. “Listen…” she said, “there’s something I need to tell you two.”

~

He pushed the door open to the bar carefully, quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention to them. No one in the streets seemed to care who Cloud was with. For all anyone knew, Zack was just another citizen, another lowly citizen caught up in the rush of Edge city. Or maybe he was a relative visiting from a far away town no one had ever heard of. It didn’t matter much either way, but for some reason Cloud wanted Zack to be a little more important than just some stranger.

Ever since their conversation last night, Cloud thought about what Tifa had said. He considered her anger and wondered if he was being too lenient himself. Then again, who could he rage about this to? Hojo was dead. President Shinra had been offed by Sephiroth, and they were there to confirm both with their own eyes. It wasn’t as though they could hunt down Rufus and make him pay for his sins either. What had he done? He had had no part in this, as far as Cloud could tell. Maybe Reeve would have told him the truth and spared him from the wondering, but none of that mattered now. It wasn’t his decision anyway. If Zack wanted to let it go, then that was up to him--no one else. And with that in mind, they strode into the bar. 

Cloud led them inside with Zack on his tail. His heart hammered in his chest for some reason. It wasn’t obvious to him why he would be nervous about bringing Zack to the bar, but the deeper he got into his concerns, the more they made sense. Would they like Zack? He was a likeable guy--how could they not? He also represented a link to his past, part of himself Cloud rarely showed. And if, and when, he did, it was mostly with Tifa. 

Part of him felt some relief that not everyone was there. Yuffie slipped off the stool where she sat and approached them, eyeing Cloud first before turning her gaze to the taller, black-haired man behind him. The look in her eyes was unreadable, as if she were scrutinizing him from head to toe. But she offered her hand to him and said, “We’ve met before.”

Cloud blinked. How? Even Zack seemed confused. 

Yuffie chuckled. “I was, like, barely in the double-digits when you came to Fort Tamblin. Remember? You were there on super important military business!” She winked at him. Fort Tamblin sounded familiar. Cloud had only read about it in books he had access to in the military. Wutai had used the particular location as a base to operate out of during their war with Shinra, and Zack had been summoned there with his mentor to carry out a mission.

Cloud watched as Zack’s eyes widened, as the memories poured back into his mind. 

“That was you?” Zack smiled widely. “That must’ve been...what, ten years ago?”

“Just about,” Yuffie nodded. “I’m not a kid anymore, though. S’funny. I think I even met Zack before you did, Cloud.” She playfully smacked Cloud’s chest with the back of her hand and smirked proudly.

Once the shock wore off, everyone took time to ask questions, listen to stories, and let soak in the fact that a once-dead man had been brought back to life. Surely, Cloud thought, Zack had to be tired of explaining his story. Barret would want to know once he got back with the kids. Nanaki and Vincent would understand, though. Given their experience with Shinra and the brilliant minds of the science and research team, neither of them would have much to question.

“So that’s it,” Cid said, blowing a puff of smoke up toward the ceiling. “You’re just back now like nothing happened.”

Zack sat forward, propped himself on his elbows against the table and shrugged. “Don’t really have much of a choice. The people who called for my death are gone now, so I’ve heard. Everyone else was just following orders.”

“The Turks are still around,” Cid mumbled. “Maybe we could pay ‘em back for ‘following’ orders.’” He lifted his fingers and made quotes in the air with them.

“The Turks are remorseful for their part in what happened,” Tifa reminded him. The scorn in her tone of voice made apparent. “If it wasn’t for Rufus and all of them, Edge would have never been created. We might still be struggling to manage the Geostigma. As much as I hate them for what they’ve done, they’ve also shown they can admit to their wrongdoings.”

Cid grumbled, shrugged. He gave up with his sarcasm and left his disdain for the old Shinra company alone.

“So Tseng and them are still around,” Zack said in a soft voice. “Man, that hurts a lot more than I thought it would.”

“I bet they would shit their pants if you rolled up and knocked on the door,” Yuffie said with a smirk. Cloud could see it in her eyes that she was imagining the scenario, and part of him was curious about their reactions, too. It wasn’t often they saw the Turks, but every now and then they would cross paths.

“What are they doing anyway?” Zack asked.

Cloud fielded that question. “They still work for Rufus. He may not be president of Shinra anymore, but he’s still benefiting from the surname. He used some of his fortune to aid in funding the WRO before the Deep Ground conflict. I know they continue to conduct research experiments to find a more widespread cure for Geostigma, but none of this information leaves this room,” he said, having shared sensitive information that anyone other than him shouldn’t know. “Aside from that, it remains a mystery what Rufus Shinra is doing. Tifa’s right, though. He has shown remorse for a lot of things, in his own way.”

“I had a feeling it was Rufus funnelling money at Reeve,” Yuffie said. “It’s a damn shame what happened to him, but maybe he likes it better this way, being out of the spotlight. Maybe he stepped down voluntarily because he knew his reputation was tarnished after we first kicked Sephiroth’s ass.”

“Either way,” Tifa interjected, “not everything from your past is gone, Zack. A lot is still the same.”

Zack nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. Been thinking about seeing my parents, if they’re still around. Maybe Reeve could help out with that.” He smiled nervously, perhaps imagining a scenario where they were no longer part of this world.

“Where do they live?” Cid asked. He snuffed his cigarette butt in the ashtray and leaned back.

“Gongaga. Never moved away, I think, last time I heard anything,” Zack said.

Cid grunted. “Been in and out of Gongaga a couple times the last few months. Place looks like it never even heard of what happened in Midgar. Seemed pretty untouched to me.” That seemed to quell some of Zack’s concern. If Gongaga was safe, perhaps his parents were, too.

“It’s best to take things step-by-step,” Tifa said. “One thing at a time.” The room fell silent among them until the door opened and Barret’s large frame appeared in the sunlight. Marlene and Denzel trailed behind him, but they rushed into the bar laughing and chasing one another. That is, until Marlene spotted Zack and stopped dead in her tracks. Tifa took note of the young girl’s reaction immediately. “Hey guys. Welcome back!”

“Did you hear about the news?” Barret asked, ignoring Zack’s presence.

Cloud frowned. “What news?” He looked to Tifa first. Surely, if there was news, she would know about it.

Tifa hesitated. She opened her mouth to say something, but Barret interrupted her. “Spike, are you tryin’ to tell me you haven’t heard about those monsters coming up into the city?”

Cloud slipped off his stool. “Monsters?” Now he looked to Zack who seemed as equally confused. He pulled his phone out to check for messages from Reeve, but there were none.

“Yeah! Man, they came up to the back end of this far in the outskirts of town,” Barret explained. “I’m surprised to see you sittin’ here instead of bein’ out there.”

“Tifa…” Cloud gently but firmly took her by the arm and moved her behind the counter. He lowered his voice. “What is going on?”

Her brow furrowed as she struggled to respond. “I’m sorry,” was all Tifa could think to say. “Cid only just told us about it. I’ve only known since this morning.”

Cloud stepped in closer to her, inches away. “But they’re in the city?”

“Not necessarily. They were spotted in the outskirts.”

“How many?”

“The news said it was about three or four.”

“Shit,” Cloud spat under his breath. He didn’t want Marlene or Denzel to hear this. “Yuffie, could you take the kids upstairs? Please.”

Yuffie heard the concern and gravity in Cloud’s voice and didn’t hesitate to oblige his request. Both Marlene and Denzel reluctantly made their way upstairs with her, disappearing into their room. It wasn’t until Cloud heard the door shut that he took out his phone.

“Stop.” Tifa put her hand over it. 

Cloud frowned. “What are you doing?”

“If this was an emergency, Reeve would’ve contacted you by now,” she said. “Right? He told you to relax and take time with Zack.”

“Tifa. The one thing I was asked to do that kept me away from home for a week didn’t work. Somehow, those monsters got back out and now they’re coming into the city. You didn’t see what they did to those SOLDIERs. If they’re in someone’s backyard, we could be dealing with bodies next.”

“Do you really think Reeve would let that happen?” Tifa asked. “Think about it. I guarantee you he’s mobilizing whatever manpower necessary to deal with the threat.”

“Exactly. It is a threat and this is my job,” Cloud said. He pulled his phone out from under her hand and opened a new text to send to Reeve.

“Even if you do contact him, he might turn you away. There are other people capable of handling this.”

“Then why did he ask me to step into this position? He begged me, Tifa. Remember?” Cloud had never been the type to brag and she knew he wasn’t implying he might be the only capable one to deal with such a threat. “This is dangerous.”

From behind, Zack softly cleared his throat. “Everything okay?”

Cloud spun around to face him. He stared at Zack, wondering what to say, if he should say anything about it at all. “Yeah,” he replied, nodding. “Um...I just need to make a call.” Cloud stepped away from both Tifa and Zack and slipped outside, out back so he could have some privacy.

~

“Tifa.” Zack followed her when she moved out from behind the bar. “He said there’s monsters in the city? What kind of monsters?”

“I’m not sure, but they’re coming from the ruins,” Tifa explained as she turned to face him. “Cloud says he’s seen them before. He said he ran across them in the underground tunnels.”

“Underground tunnels.” Zack furrowed his brow. He knew about those tunnels but had never been inside them himself. “The ones in Midgar…”

“Would have been helpful to have you with us when we discovered them, after the plate dropped.” Tifa let out a heavy sigh. “We fought all these nasty creatures and left the rest of them inside after we got out. I don’t even know what’s still down there. It’s been a couple of years.”

“Then why are they coming into Edge?” 

Tifa shrugged. “Nobody knows. Cloud was trying to figure that out before he learned about you. Reeve asked him to deal with the ones that were first spotted. They even talked about carrying out an aerial assault, but it sounds like they’re coming from underground. We would have to get back down there to even have any idea what the situation is like now.”

“An aerial assault. What, like, bombing them?”

Tifa nodded. “It’s too dangerous. There are still people who willingly go into the ruins. It’s where Cloud found Denzel. There’s no telling who is or isn’t there and Shinra doesn’t want any more blood on their reputation.”

Zack put his hands on his hips and sighed. “Maybe there’s an opening down there somewhere, to the Lifestream,” he mused. “Some monsters have been known to burrow deep enough to find entry points. If the underground tunnels go deep enough, just like the reactors, they could have found the sweet spot. And if these creatures are one of Hojo’s creations, then you know they’re pumped full of Jenova cells.”

“But why would they want to do that? It’s dangerous to fall into the Lifestream. They would just...die off in there,” Tifa said with a conviction indicating she knew what it was like. She even cringed at her own statement.

“I was told that Sephiroth fell into the Lifestream,” Zack replied, keeping his voice down. “Is that right?”

Tifa nodded, a solemn expression pulling at her soft features. 

“In the reactor in Nibelheim. Cloud did that to him, ran him through with his own sword and tossed him over the edge. You wouldn’t have been told that after everything that happened, after Shinra came and took you and Cloud away. I only knew it because of the rumors in town. They patched me up and sent me on my merry way, told me the military would take care of the clean up. Cloud confirmed it.”

“And Sephiroth was able to manifest himself back somehow?” Zack asked. Tifa replied with another nod, and didn't say anything this time. Zack hummed as he considered the idea. “Maybe he has something to do with it. Maybe...whatever Jenova cells remain floating around out there are interacting somehow. He would need time again, to regenerate, if that’s what he’s doing. I wouldn’t underestimate what they’re capable of...what he’s capable of.”

Both of them knew it. They had seen it with their own eyes, Tifa more so given she had lived and been tasked with assisting Cloud in taking Sephiroth down. The back door opened and Cloud stepped inside a moment later, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Reeve doesn’t want me involved,” Cloud said to her.

“And I think that’s a good idea,” Tifa replied. “You’ve been through enough. Maybe it’s time you stepped back and tried not being the hero for once.”

“Yeah, Spike.” Zack smiled, pat Cloud’s arm. “Isn’t that what he called you?” Zack nodded toward the big man with the gunarm. Barret looked up when he thought he heard his name mentioned. “You don’t have to be anyone’s hero right now.”

Cloud stared at Zack, searched his eyes. The fact that he was having trouble swallowing the idea of taking a step back worried Tifa, but she had to remind him that it was okay. She touched his arm, squeezed it gently before stroking it up and down. “Let’s just enjoy this time together.” She said, sounding a bit like Reeve.

_“Cloud.”_

_Cloud could hear in Reeve’s voice a sort of nervous tone, almost as if he had been sitting there waiting for his phone to go off. It irked the blonde knowing he had been purposefully left out of the loop, but Cloud kept his head about him._

_“When did you plan on telling me about the breech?” Cloud asked._

_“You and I both know you would have heard about it eventually. I know Zack has a television in his apartment.” Reeve sighed and shifted. Cloud could hear his chair squeak under his weight._

_“I know you told me not to worry about anything and spend my time with Zack, but this is getting out of hand. They’re coming toward the city now and you know what they’re capable of. I don’t need to tell you what they did to those SOLDIERs.”_

_“Yes, unfortunately I do. But I have a very large regiment of SOLDIERs and MPs mobilizing as we speak. Seiver is assisting in your absence, as well as a few others who understand you will not be joining them.”_

_“Why not?” Cloud asked, trying to keep his voice down._

_“Because it is more important for you to take a step back and let other people handle these things while you take advantage of the time you have with Zack.” Reeve paused, thinking of his next words. “I couldn’t be there for the people of Sector 7 when President Shinra dropped the plate. I couldn’t help anyone because he wouldn’t let me. It wasn’t just Tifa that suffered the loss of her bar and her home. She lost everything. Barret did, too. So did the rest of the men and women and children both under and above. You were there. You saw the complete hell it caused._

_What Shinra did, what Shinra has done is inexcusable. It’s disgusting and frankly I can’t be happier with the outcome of President Shinra’s fate. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. Now that he and Rufus are out of the way, I can finally do what I’ve been wanting to do for all these years and actually help people. I can make up for our shortcomings. I can help Tifa. We did help rebuild the city and rebuild the bar. I helped you and we all helped each other. And now that I can really give you something back that was unfairly taken from you… I want you to embrace that. You deserve it, Cloud. If there’s anyone more deserving of rest and peace of mind, it’s you._

_To think that you just want to keep going, to keep fighting makes me wonder what your motivation really is. Maybe there’s just something not settled within you. Maybe you really do want to play the hero. You’re good at it, I must say.” Reeve chuckled but there was no humor to it. “Whatever it is, I just… I need you to step back and appreciate something good for once in your life. If this gets out of control, believe me you’ll be the first one to know.”_

_The silence between them rang volumes as Cloud swallowed Reeve’s words. He had hit the nail on the head several times over, but Cloud didn’t need to tell him that. He let out a heavy sigh and glanced around the alleyway, thankful no one else was around._

_“Please understand what I’m trying to do for you,” Reeve said. “I promise not to keep you in the dark this time, but let me do this for you now. Let me shoulder the stress, not just for you but for Zack, too. This is also about him, you know. His life was unfairly taken away and now that he’s back he needs all the support he can get.”_

_That much Cloud knew was true. He didn’t want to leave Zack on his own. Not now. Not ever. He just needed a little reminder._

_“Cloud?”_

_“Yeah.” Cloud shifted his weight and turned toward the door. “I’m here.”_

_“Spend time with Zack and everyone else. If I need you, I will contact you.”_

_There was that silence again. Cloud cut it short this time. “Okay.”_

_Reeve ended the call after wishing Cloud a good day. The blonde stared down at the screen of his phone, letting the words sink in before he slipped back inside._

~

Halfway through the day, Cloud felt the exhaustion of having to be mentally present while everyone took the time to get to know Zack. He listened to the stories his friend told yet again, attended to the kids when they asked him questions to elaborate on details Zack had given, or simply gave into the little things. Like when Marlene latched onto his arm and held it like she was holding a doll. Despite their very first encounter and her initial coldness toward him, the little girl had grown quite fond of Cloud, treating him like she would a cooler, bigger older brother.

A few hours into the day, with the bar open and operating on normal business hours, Cloud stepped outside out back to take in some fresh air and Zack joined him. When they had rebuilt the bar, Tifa had equipped a small space outside on the closet space of a balcony to be able to relax in the privacy of the back alley, big enough to fit two chairs side-by-side but not much else, but neither man sat down. Both Cloud and Zack leaned against the railing instead.

“I gotta say,” Zack started, “watching you with those kids was like…” He brought both hands up to his head and mimicked a bomb going off, made the explosion sound to go with it. 

Cloud watched Zack’s display and didn’t fight the smirk that pulled at the corner of his lips. Truthfully, he was glad to have a breather alone again with Zack. As much as he cared for everyone, it took a lot out of him to have to re-live such a difficult part of his life. And he was sure Zack felt the same way. 

“Marlene didn’t really like me when we first met,” Cloud mused. “I had my SOLDIER fatigues on and the Buster Sword on my back.”

“Where is that thing, anyway?” Zack asked. “The Buster Sword.”

Cloud felt his heart hammer in his chest now as his mind went straight to the place. He glanced at Zack, staring at him. “On the cliff where you died.”

Zack frowned, letting that sink in. The silence between them was palpable. “Oh.”

“It’s fine. It’s better now.” Cloud stared down at the mess of pipes on the adjacent building, stared beyond it while his mind wandered. “It served me well, to be honest. And then I had my sword based on it with some enhancements.”

“I noticed the compartment on the bike where you store it,” Zack said, perking up at the option to change the subject. “That’s pretty cool.”

Cloud looked up at him and nodded ever so slightly. “Well, now I kind of wish I hadn’t gotten rid of the Buster Sword.”

“You didn’t get rid of it, though. Sounds like it served a very good purpose.” 

A purpose as a tombstone, Cloud thought, but he pushed the notion aside. “Anyway...about Marlene,” he continued. “She didn’t take to me at first. I don’t blame her. That was a pretty big and intimidating sword. She warmed up to me eventually and now I can’t peel her off my leg half the time.”

“And the boy? Denzel. Tifa told me you found him in the Sector 7 ruins. What’s his story?”

“After the plate dropped, Denzel was left homeless and orphaned. When I was at the church in Sector 5--” Cloud left out the why for a very specific reason, not wanting Zack to know he had lived there at one point “--he was rummaging around in the ruins and grabbed hold of my phone off my bike. He ended up calling Tifa and passed out a few minutes before I could get to him. I wasn’t there when it happened. But I found him on the ground with my phone and just...took him back with me.”

“A heart of gold and stone!” Zack said, pride in his voice. “I gotta say, you’ve been through it all. I’m kinda sad I didn’t get to join you.”

Cloud shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Well, you’re here now.” They met each other’s eyes again and Cloud held Zack’s gaze. “Whatever comes next…” He shrugged, shook his head. “I’m going to make sure nothing ever happens to you or anyone else.”

Zack leaned a little closer to Cloud this time, their shoulders almost touching. Half an inch more and their arms would gently brush together. “I appreciate the sentiment, but we’ll look out for each other. You got that? You’re not going to take this all on your own,” Zack told him. “Seems to me like you’ve got a lot of people in there who really care about you, who would do anything to make sure you’re supported. And more that I’m apparently missing out on. Tifa said there’s a few people I haven’t met yet.”

Cloud smirked, chuckled under his breath. “I don’t think we’ll have to do this again with them.”

“Why do you say that?” Zack asked.

“Both Vincent and Nanaki know Hojo pretty well. We weren’t the only ones he experimented on.”

“Gotcha.” Cloud didn’t need to say anything more for Zack to understand what Professor Hojo could have possibly done to the unfortunate subjects of his experiments. The silence between them didn’t weigh as heavily as it had before. “As tired as I am and as drained as I feel, I am really glad we did this. I want you to know that, Cloud. Being here with you and all your friends, with Tifa...it’s a relief. I constantly worry about what it might be like out there, outside the hospital. When they told me how long I had been gone, I could hardly believe how much of my life had been taken from me. But to know I still have friends and maybe even my parents is like…” He searched his mind for the right words. “It’s like feeling like you’re seconds from drowning and at the last second someone grabs you and pulls you up from under the water and you can take a huge, deep breath.”

Cloud seemed to understand. He nodded and thought about it, considered what Zack was saying. He had become so wrapped up in his own amazement that there were times he knew he was forgetting how Zack must have been handling his situation. It was his, indeed, but not his alone. Not if Cloud could help it. He felt Zack’s hand slip around his shoulder, pulling him close. Soon, both of Zack’s arms were around him and he found that he was hugging Zack in return.

“I didn’t want to do this,” Zack said, his voice quavering. Was he crying? His voice sounded weird and he hiccuped softly as he tried to take a steady breath. “Damnit…”

Cloud pulled his head back so he could stare up at Zack for confirmation. Even though he tried to turn his head away, Zack couldn’t hide his tears.

“It’s okay,” Cloud said softly, voice barely above a whisper. He pulled Zack a little tighter back into the hug and held onto him firmly. He had to admit it felt good having Zack back with him, having Zack in his arms. He noted his friend had lost a bit of muscle mass, but not so much that he looked unhealthy. If anything, Zack looked great, like nothing had ever happened and he had been there the entire time. “It’s okay,” Cloud whispered now, pressing his face into Zack’s shoulder. His hair smelled faintly like his shampoo, Cloud noted, and he closed his eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love Cid and Vincent. Come at me, bro.

Vincent peeled one eye open first, then the other. He had fallen to sleep sooner than expected, but that was expected having grown accustomed to his bedfellow. He glanced at the pilot laying beside him in the small room, which Cid proudly referred to as the “Captain’s Quarters”. During moments alone, comfortable with Cid enough to let down his guard, Vincent would tease him concerning the fact they were not on a ship of the sea, and he would pay for it later in the night when everyone else was asleep. Or they would seek an inn and the crew would be none the wiser when the two of them found time to spend together. It wasn’t often they could spend more than a night before one of them had a job to finish.

He pushed that out of his mind and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, hoping not to disturb the mattress too much, but Cid slept heavily most of the time so that was hardly an issue. Still, Vincent took caution and winced as he moved, backside still sore from their romp in bed only a few hours before. It had been a week since they had seen one another, and he missed Cid’s embrace.

Vincent quietly padded across the metal floor, barefooted, over to the triple-paned window where he spotted nothing but darkness. The Highwind sat on the outskirts of the city to the west, just a few miles away from the reported monster sighting on the farm half a day ago. The two of them kept correspondence about where the other would be. Cid even pushed back his departure from the city to a few days later, missing their time together.

Another glance out the window didn’t quell the gunman’s worry. He was certain he had heard scratching or tapping, but his eyes saw nothing outside of the parameter of the window. Vincent stood on his toes this time and narrowed his eyes. It helped to sharpen his already pristine vision.

Behind him, Cid grumbled in his sleep, shifted under the covers, and settled on his other side. He let out a heavy sigh through his nose and carried on sleeping, but the noise sounded again and Vincent whipped his head back to the window. Nothing at first. Then it was there. Not a hundred yards off in the distance; a quick but distinct shadow scrambled across the field. It’s long, slender body and bony tail wisped through the air as a ghost might leave trails of its presence for those with the mind to notice.

Vincent spun away from the window and snatched the Death Penalty off the bureau where he lay it unloaded with the safety on. A few quick moves and he loaded the chamber with practiced ease. He set the gun down once it was loaded and climbed back onto the bed, shaking Cid’s shoulder along with calling out his name. It took Cid a moment to rouse, but when he did, he grumbled angrily.

“Whu--? Th’fuck…” Cid rolled onto his back, rubbed his tired eyes. His blonde hair lay flat on the left side while the right sat tufted up, spiky and disheveled. “Vince? Th’hell is going on?” His words came out slurred with exhaustion.

“There are monsters outside,” Vincent said matter-of-factly. There was little stress in his voice, but there was a sense of urgency.

“Monsters?” Cid sat up on his elbows and peered at Vincent’s shadow in the darkness through one half-open eye. “Are you kiddin’ me?”

“No, I am not kidding you.” Vincent had Peacemaker in his hands now and he loaded that one, too, making sure to keep the barrel pointed away from Cid. “I heard scratching. It woke me up. When I looked outside, I saw the creatures running in the distance.”

“Well, shit. Let’s go check it out.” Cid crawled out of bed, stumbled around a bit before finding the light, and grabbed his lance he had propped against the wall for easy reach. He liked its lightweight feel, always talked about it, especially after Cloud had offered a few enhancements to make it more compact. Leave it to a guy with six swords in one to make a lance less cumbersome.

Once fully awake, Cid joined Vincent, who had slipped his claw, cloak, and boots on, and followed through the maze of halls to the bridge. “I can’t see a damn thing out there,” Cid grumbled. He peered out the window with his keen eyes. As a pilot, his vision was top notch but nowhere near as good as the gunman’s enhanced sight.

Vincent said nothing. His eyes scanned the field out the window toward the direction where he first spotted them and threw his finger up, pointing. “There.”

Cid stared in the direction but frowned. “I still don’t see anything, Vince--” He stopped mid-sentence and stared wide-eyed as Vincent ran across the bridge, threw open a large metal door that banged hard against the wall behind it. He was certain he heard some crew coming out from their quarters, but he was already halfway to the ground by then. 

Vincent rolled as he hit the cold, damp grass and got to his feet immediately. He ran at the creature that had spotted him, aimed, and fired a few rounds in quick succession. They didn’t quite hit the creature. One bullet skimmed its lower back, but they were quick and weaved in and out of the shrubbery. 

“Vincent!” he heard Cid shout behind him.

Eyes on the creature, Vincent rushed after the one closest to him. He lined up the shot and took it out with two bullets this time, a direct hit to the head plus another in the back for certainty. The sound of Cid spitting out a curse echoed in the distance, but by the time he got back to the pilot, Vincent found he had taken the second one down with his lance. The creature lay motionless on its side before fizzling away seconds later into a brilliant fluttering of green wisps.

Cid panted, ran his hand over his hair. “Fuck, you weren’t kidding.”

“Is that it?” Vincent turned around, glanced this way and that, peered into the darkness. When he was satisfied they had dealt with the threat, he turned back to Cid. “We should contact Cloud.”  


“Ahh…” Cid hesitated, scratched the back of his neck. “Why not Reeve?”

Vincent stalked back to the ladder, moving quickly with Cid on his tail. “Perhaps Reeve. Why, where is Cloud?”

“Oh, right.” Cid nodded, remembering the gunman had not yet met Zack. “Well, uh...it’s kind of long story.” He explained everything in minimal detail, enough that it would make sense but not so much that they spent much more time out on the ground. Vincent had his experience with Hojo and hardly needed reminding. He lived with that every day for the rest of his life. “Reeve doesn’t want Cloud involved in this, so he’s taking care of it himself, and Cloud is spending time with Zack,” Cid explained on their way to the ladder.

“Either way, we need to talk to one if not both of them. If these creatures make it any deeper into the city, it could be disastrous.” Vincent stopped just at the foot of the ladder and patted the pocket where he kept his phone. He had forgotten it in Cid’s room.

The pilot chuckled, shook his head. “We need to figure out how to keep your phone on you.” He pulled his phone out and dialed Reeve’s number, surprised to hear him pick up on the first ring.  
“Are they out there, too?” Reeve asked; a hint of concern dripped from his voice. At two in the morning, what else would Cid be calling for?

Cid had put the call on speakerphone and said as much. He motioned for them to head up and they both started climbing. “So I guess this isn’t just some isolated spotting. Vince just took down one of them. I took down another. Not sure if there’s any more, but it doesn’t seem like it. That or we scared them off.”

“I’m in a neighborhood southwest of the city,” Reeve explained, and he let out a heavy sigh. “We have a body this time. A young man in his twenties who was outside when one of those monsters came across him.”

They had made their way into a small room that would lead them back up to the bridge, but Cid wanted to carry on the conversation in privacy so as not to scare the crew.

“Unfortunately, yes. It seems the man tried to rush the creature off and ended up in a scuffle with it instead. You’ve seen how big they are, though. The fight didn’t last long, is what I’m being told. The creature has gone off now, but I still have my men souring the area.”

“Are you going to get Cloud involved in this now? Sounds like it’s getting out of hand.” Cid glanced at Vincent, who had taken to leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.  
Reeve grunted and lowered his voice. “That is the last thing I wish to do at a time like this, but it seems I have no choice. I don’t want to pull him away from Zack. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Cid listened for a moment while Reeve struggled to come up with something to say. “You want us to take care of it?”

“No, not necessarily,” Reeve replied, “but if I could ask for your help besides his, it might be easier to tackle.”

Cid stared at Vincent now, waiting for a response. Neither man said anything for some time. Not until Vincent answered for both of them. 

“I will assist,” the gunman said. “But there has to be a reason why this is happening. It’s not as though this is random. It seems... I don’t know, almost coincidental.”

“I would love to hear more about your theory on why this seems coincidental, but a phone conference does not seem adequate. Would you two be able to meet me somewhere? Perhaps I could come to the ship,” Reeve suggested.

“Not unless you want to make a scene. I don’t think my crew has any idea what the hell is going on after Vincent pulled off that little stunt. He burst out the door like a bat outta hell and popped off some shots.” Cid smirked, grateful Reeve couldn’t see it. No one knew of their relationship. They were fine with everyone assuming their relationship was purely platonic. “Anyway, they probably already think something is wrong. We’ll come to you.”

“Right. I will send you my location and we can speak in private,” Reeve agreed.

Cid ended the call, slipped his phone in his pocket, and stared at Vincent in the dimly lit alcove. “I guess we’re in on this now.”

“It seems suspect, does it not?” Vincent let his arms drop to his sides. He stood up straight, away from the wall.

“Seems random.” Cid shrugged. “Not implausible.”

“Zack.” Vincent lingered in the silence and turned over the thoughts swirling in his mind. “When did you say Reeve told Cloud about him?”

“I don’t know...had to have been maybe a week ago if that.”

“But he was under the care of Shinra, correct? Reeve knew about him before Cloud did, and we can assume Reeve was aware of Zack’s presence weeks before. They sent Cloud out to the ruins a while back. Even before then, they were aware of the activity, before the first attack.”

Cid furrowed his brow, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Wait a minute, wait, wait, wait…” He waved his hand as if to call a timeout on the conversation. “You think Zack’s presence has something to do with these monsters?”

“It is possible,” Vincent said. “Whatever treatment they administered, whatever they did to him to bring him back...perhaps that has something to do with it.” Vincent paused a moment to gather his thoughts. His voice lowered as he spoke. “And it is rare that one is resurrected from the dead. Not without some kind of exchange, some kind of consequence.”

“Consequence?” Cid echoed.

“Bringing back a human life without stipulations is not too far out there,” Vincent explained. “Sephiroth could achieve such a feat, but not without consequence and only to an extent. It would make sense that, for Zack to come back relatively the same, he might have paid a similar price.”

“What the hell kind of price do you think he’s paid, though? Where do these monsters fit into it?” Cid sighed. He knew this was speculation, but now wasn't the time to dig too deep into things. “Let’s say you’re right. Let's say...Zack being brought back means these doctors playing around with life, really playing god, means that there's a price that's been paid. I still don’t get how these creatures coming into the city fits into that narrative.”

Vincent responded with a grunt from deep in his throat. He didn't know either.

“Anyway, we should get going. Reeve’s expecting us.” Cid slipped past the gunman into the corridor, trying not to make a scene as they emerged back onto the bridge, but he did place his hand on Vincent's chest only briefly as a sign of affection. They probably wouldn't be able to share much any time soon.

\--

He hadn’t moved from where he sat in the chair next to the bed for hours. Zack rested there as he had for most of the night and Cloud watched over him despite his eyelids growing heavy with exhaustion. When he felt his mind slip away, Cloud jerked awake and shifted into a different position to keep from falling to sleep. As the night progressed, staying awake grew increasingly difficult and even Tifa—who slipped inside the room well past midnight—suggested he turn in for the night. Cloud refused, however, and told her in a whisper that everything was fine.

What concerned Cloud more than getting rest was the thought of Zack breaking down into tears. The way he gripped his shirt, hung onto him like he might float away, shook the blonde in ways he hadn’t felt for some time. To see his seemingly indestructible and brave mentor and friend fall apart like that made his gut turn. If he thought about it, he couldn’t even recall a time he had seen Zack shed a tear. Maybe from laughing too hard, but never anything else. 

Cloud’s eyelids slid shut once more. He flinched when he heard Zack shift under the covers. The man grunted in his sleep, then roused and opened his eyes. Somehow, his hair stood as it looked any other time, still spiky if not a little tousled. A quick hand over a few piecey strands would put it back in place.

“Hey.” Zack’s voice came out husky with sleep. He pushed himself up onto his elbows at first before shimmying against the headboard. “What time is it?”

Cloud consulted his phone for an answer. “Half-past two.” He knew his eyes were burning, and he knew Zack could see how tired he was, but Cloud ignored that. “How do you feel?”

“Fine, I guess.” Zack hesitated, must’ve felt some shame for his break down earlier. “I’m sorry...about what happened out on the balcony. I didn’t mean to put all that on you.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Cloud shifted forward in his chair and leaned against the bed while one hand rested on the mattress. “This is hard to swallow. It’s going to take time to get used to everything.” He glanced down at his hand when Zack placed his own atop it. The weight of it, the warmth, sent a shiver up his arm and into his shoulder. His stomach fluttered for the first time in what felt like forever. He hadn’t felt this way since things had progressed beyond friendship for him and Tifa.

“I know,” Zack said. “But knowing you’re still here makes it a hell of a lot easier to handle.”

Cloud swallowed a thick lump down his throat when Zack rubbed his thumb over his hand, stroked it with surprising tenderness. His skin was soft, not calloused like it might have been if he were wielding a sword all day. Cloud hesitated to make sense of his scrambling thoughts and opened his mouth to speak, only for his phone to interrupt him. It whirred in place on the nightstand with each vibration as it rang. He snatched and answered it. “Hello?”

“It’s Reeve. We have a problem.”

Cloud glanced at Zack and stood from the chair. He moved to the window to stare out over the city, but nothing seemed out of place. The city was calm as it always was in the wee hours of the morning. “Problem? What do you mean?”

“These monsters are in the city now,” Reeve explained. “One of them killed a young man. Cid and Vincent encountered a few out by the Highwind. They’re here with me now.”

He spun on his heels away from the window to stare at Zack again. “Why didn’t you contact me sooner? You know I would have come out there and taken care of it.” Cloud tried to keep his voice down. They weren’t the only ones in the bar. 

“We can discuss why I didn’t contact you right away later on. What I need is your help, if you’re willing. I understand if you don’t wish to get involved now that things have changed.”

Cloud stared at Zack, who threw the blanket aside and climbed out of bed. He stretched his arms and his shoulders, muscles working under the thin fabric of his shirt. Cloud noticed how his eyes drifted up and down the man’s frame, still taut with muscle even though Zack had lost a few pounds. He cleared his throat at the realization and turned his gaze somewhere innocuous, down to the floorboards.  
“Everything okay?” Zack asked.

Cloud frowned, not knowing what to say. “I--”

“Listen to me, Cloud. I will give you my location so you can make a decision. I will understand if you sit this one out. I have Vincent and Cid, so you don't have to feel like this is entirely on your shoulders,” Reeve said, but cut himself off for a moment to let someone speak in the background. “Right. Thank you," he said to the person Cloud couldn't see. "They need me now, so I must let you go.” 

The call ended as quickly as it had begun and Cloud stared down at his phone for a moment before looking up at Zack, dumbfounded.

“Cloud, you’re kinda freaking me out,” Zack said, having closed the distance between them now. He stood inches away from him in the room's darkness so as not to speak so loud and wake someone. “What’s going on?”

A soft sigh escaped from between Cloud’s lips. “The monsters that were trying to dig into the ruins are now making their way into the city.” The volume of his voice faltered to something quiet, defeated. “Reeve says a man died tonight, and Cid and Vincent are out there helping. He says he would like my help, but understands if I choose not to go.”

“I will understand if you choose to,” Zack said, staring at Cloud with his bright blue gaze. “From what I’ve learned, you’ve become something of a SOLDIER without having to go through all the bullshit I did. It sounds like a lot of people rely on you because of that.”

Cloud shrugged. That wasn’t untrue, but he had to admit that he was tired and wanted nothing more than to spend time with Zack, to take back the life that they ripped away from him. And yet there was this nagging, relentless sensation deep in the pit of his gut. “I feel like I need to be there,” he admitted; a hint of guilt dripped from his tone. “I feel like it’s my duty.”

“Why?” Zack asked, steadfastly holding Cloud’s gaze.

“Because who else will?” The two men stared at one another in silence before Cloud continued. “I’ve been thinking about how there just has to be something more we aren’t getting. Why now? Why are these monsters coming up and out of the ruins this time and not a year ago? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Well, has anything changed?” Zack offered. “I--” His eyes widened and his body stiffened. It took Cloud by surprise. “You don’t think I have anything to do with it, do you?”

Cloud frowned. He moved around Zack to the nightstand and picked up his keys. “Why would you?”

“Cloud, how often is it that a dead guy riddled with bullets comes back from utter death. I hate to say it, but they told me I was dead,” Zack explained. “Like, no life functions whatsoever.”

“That’s not true,” Cloud muttered. “How could it be?”

“It has to be.”

“No.” Cloud clenched his teeth, trying to keep the anger from building and blowing up out of him.

“Because I didn’t just disintegrate into the Lifestream like everyone else? So what? That doesn’t mean--"

Cloud spun around and approached Zack. “They lied to you. There’s something these doctors and scientists aren’t telling us. And if that’s the case, they sure as hell aren’t telling Reeve. Whatever it is they did to you, you weren’t dead. Because if that was the truth and they were being honest, you wouldn’t be here right now.” Cloud stared down at Zack’s chest. It wasn’t hard given the height difference between them. He hadn’t realized it, but he was panting softly. "You of all people should understand where I'm coming from. So what if Reeve runs the show now. It's still Shinra. It's still a ruse. I know you remember what they did to you and me, to Sephiroth, to everyone else they can get their hands on just to further their scientific research. There's no way you can tell me I'm wrong about this."

“Cloud,” Zack spoke his name in the softest voice possible. He put his hand on Cloud’s shoulder at first, squeezed it, and then let it slide down his arm where he stroked his bicep. Cloud unclenched his jaw and stared up into Zack’s eyes. Although he had relaxed his once clenched jaw, his heart still pounded in his chest. “I do understand. And I haven't gotten rid of the anger I have for the Shinra that put me on the ground on that cliff, that shot me dead and used me... _again_. I won't ever forget that, but that's not what matters right now.”

“Maybe it should,” Cloud started again as if trying to prove something. 

Zack shook his head. “Maybe. I’m not saying we shouldn’t consider it.” He paused and gathered his thoughts. “I didn’t want to talk about the possibility, but you’re probably right. It doesn’t matter in this moment, anyway. If you want to help Reeve, then I’m not going to stop you. I’ll stay here with Tifa and everyone else. We’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I want you to know that.”

He knew the terror painted across his face was obvious, but Cloud didn’t hide it. “Alright,” he said after a long moment in silence. “I’m… I need to help Reeve.”

Zack gave Cloud a little smile, pulled him into his arms, and stroked his back. “Just keep in touch with us,” he whispered. “I’m gonna want to know if we need to get the hell out of this city.”

Cloud softly spluttered with quiet laughter, but the sentiment was short-lived. He held onto Zack a little while longer to take in his warmth and his scent. For a split second, Cloud changed his mind about leaving. He could forget about the phone call, put it out of his mind and pretend nothing had happened, but he reminded himself it was not the time to dilly dally. The hug lingered a few seconds longer before Cloud pulled and stepped away from Zack. He retrieved his sword from where it leaned propped against the wall and attached it to his back. Cloud reminded himself he would need to change after taking a shower when he got back, but first things first.

Before he could leave, Zack grabbed Cloud’s wrist, physically stopping him from leaving the room. “Hey, wait a minute.”

Cloud turned and stared at Zack, but the man never let go of his wrist, not until he finished talking.

“Please be careful out there. Don’t do anything too brave.” Seeing Zack’s concern for him cemented the fact that he cared. It was nice to hear, finally, how proud his once-mentor-turned-friend felt. Cloud would hold on to those words right where it meant the most. He moved to close the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Zack again for another hug, face pressed into the crook of Zack’s neck. Briefly, his lips brushed against Zack’s warm skin, and then Cloud pulled away to slip quietly out of the bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sure as hell isn’t trying to hide the fact something happened here_ , Cloud thought to himself. He stopped his bike in front of the action, in front of the show of military power, and pushed down the kickstand with his boot. He swung his leg over the side of the motorcycle, letting it rest now after carrying him through the dark and empty streets. The closer he got to the scene, the more people he spotted peering out their doors and windows, trying to get a better look at what was going on. Men, women, and children had taken to their front yards still dressed in pajamas and nightgowns, robes and slippers. Reeve had about a hundred yards on either sides of the house blocked off so that no unauthorized personnel could slip through, not even with the dozens of military guards posted everywhere.

They let Cloud through with a stiff salute and returned to their positions. Reeve met up with him first, followed by Vincent and Cid in tow.

“I didn’t think you would come,” Reeve said; a slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It relieved him to have Cloud there, and Cloud knew it.

“I didn’t want to, but I’m going to help finish it,” the blonde mumbled. He nodded to the others, who gave him a knowing look in return.

“You won’t be finishing anything tonight,” Vincent said, arms crossed over his chest. “There is much more to this than we know.”

Cloud reached behind his back to grab hold of the hilt of his sword. He adjusted it as he spoke. “We won’t be able to get into those ruins without a plan, so my intent here is to find the monster that got away and take care of anything else nearby.”

Reeve stepped forward in between them. “You don’t intend to go out there without help, do you?”

“I’ll do whatever I have to. Like I said, until we can get into those ruins and handle this from the inside, this is what I can do now out here,” Cloud said.

“We’ll go with you,” Vincent offered.

Cid shot a glance at the gunman. “Are you fucking out of your mind? All we know is that some unfortunate kid got unlucky and lost his life to one of those things. It’s still pitch dark and Gaia knows how many are lurking around just waiting for someone else to come pick a fight.”

“We can handle it.” Vincent pulled his gun from its holster to check that it was ready for him to unload some bullets if need be. The way things were going, it was looking like he might have to. They had already taken two of them down by themselves at the Highwind. What was a handful more?

“I think Cid has a point,” Reeve interjected. “Maybe instead of heading out there yourselves, you could take a team of men with you. Take some heavy artillery in case you come across something unexpected. We could attack these things from up in the air if it means keeping everyone safe.”

“You wanted me to be here, so here I am,” Cloud said without hesitation. He turned on his heels and made his way back to his bike with everyone else in tow. Reeve didn’t argue, but he did shout at an MP for two more bikes, and the soldier nodded before running off to procure what the president requested. In the meantime, Cloud secured his Materia, knowing now how to fight these things. It had only taken once more to remind him what they were capable of.

Not a few minutes later and the bikes rolled up behind them. Two MPs handed them over to Cid and Vincent, and once they were ready, Cloud roared down the road leading to the scene of the attack. He raced past the home, kicking up dirt and rocks in his wake. Cid and Vincent kept at his sides to avoid the debris. Not much sat in their way out there. They had to maneuver around the odd rock or shrub, but the only light they had came from the moon and the paltry bulbs at the front of their bikes, and they did little to illuminate their path at the speeds they pushed up to. 

He thought they might have to drive around aimlessly for hours, but Vincent spotted and pointed out one creature ten minutes into their trek toward the ruins. Cloud said it made sense to head that way, toward the most linear path from where they came from and he was right. He gave his bike some gas so he could speed ahead, coming neck and neck with the creature as it bounded over large rocks and dead tree stumps. Cloud reached for his sword with ease and wielded it while steering the bike with little issue. He made brief eye contact with the creature before steering the bike directly into its path, giving a hard swipe. It dodged, as expected, but didn’t seem smart enough to run in the opposite direction. Instead, the creature leapt directly into Cloud's path. It nearly knocked him off his bike. He swerved and felt the wheels of the bike wiggle a moment before he regained control again. He leaned into his side giving the bike some gas, and the two of them collided.

Gunfire echoed close to his ear, whizzing by him through the air with precision. It was meant to scare off the creature, which it did with ease. This time, Cid took a swipe with his lance and only just missed taking a chunk out of the monster’s side with the shining tip. He came back in for another pass, this time swiping for its thigh. The creature shrieked as the blade ripped through its leathery skin, but the hit didn’t throw it off its track.

Cloud hit the brakes, backed off, and raced around Vincent to come up on the creature’s right flank. That maneuver took it by surprise. Its massive clawed paw misjudged its next step and the cadaverous beast tripped, rolled forward, head over heels. The skeleton of a monster righted itself quickly, only to be joined by another.

“Cid!” Vincent spat the pilot’s name and unloaded shots into the second. Then there was a third, and then a fourth. The fifth one came up from behind them, out of the darkness, out from the dusty debris kicked up by their bikes.

“Shit. Shit, fuckin’ shit!” Cid swung with his lance in all directions, not trying to injure the creatures but keep himself at a reasonable distance from them now that their numbers had increased. He spotted an opening when he could get closer to Cloud and shouted over the roar of the engines, “What the hell are we gonna do now?”

“I don’t know!” Cloud replied, eyes ahead of them. “I think we’re coming closer to the ruins. That’s why there’s more of them. It’s an infestation out here now!”

“Listen!” Vincent shouted over all of them.

Listen to what? Cloud lifted his head, stared up at the sky. He couldn’t hear anything but the bizarre and chilling clicking noises the monsters communicated with, and that wasn’t out of the ordinary. That and the roar of their bikes. He listened either way. He listened, and soon he could hear what Vincent alerted them to. The sound of helicopter blades sliced through the night sky; a blinding spotlight illuminated them once it got closer. He hadn’t recalled seeing a helicopter at the scene back in the neighborhood, so it couldn’t be Reeve. Only when it passed over them did he spot who came to join in on the fun—Shinra. Not the Shinra Reeve directed from the helm, but Rufus Shinra and his Turks.

“Holy shit!” Cid spat. “Why the hell are they here?”

Cloud’s gut twisted with nerves. He recalled being chased by that helicopter, and part of him wondered if they would get caught up in whatever it was they were there to do. The spray of bullets unleashed by it missed them completely. They were not the target, that much was for sure. All three of them slowed their bikes but followed behind the chopper as it rained a hail of spectacular firepower over the creatures. Within seconds, the Turks had taken care of what Cid, Vincent, and Cloud set out to do and then some. The missile that launched from its front lit up the night sky on a path toward the ruins of Midgar for a brief second. Another one followed, and then another. Surely, the explosions were visible from where Reeve was, but out there all three of them felt the blistering heat from its blast wave.  
Just before they could reach the destruction still raining down on the outer skirt of the east ruins, what used to be sector 3, they hit the brakes under the assumption the creatures had or would scamper away to avoid being hit. The helicopter made another pass, this time circling the ruins and coming up from the south. One more missile pitched ahead of them and hit its target. They watched the assault in disbelief until it ended minutes later. The chopper didn’t stick around, didn’t even attempt to land. It left behind it a wake of destruction, raging fire, and billowing smoke.

“It’s going to the city,” Vincent observed once the ringing in his ears subsided. He turned to stare over his shoulder toward Edge.

“Why the hell would they show up now, of all times?” Cid grumbled. He fiddled with his lance, making sure to secure it to the bike before they took off again. 

“They know something we don’t,” Cloud said, and he revved Fenrir’s engine with his hand on the brake. The back tire spun him away from the ruins, back toward Edge. He barreled forward after letting go of the brake and didn’t stick around to watch the ruins burn once again.

\--

By the time they made it back to the neighborhood, Reeve had one foot in the back seat of his unmarked sedan. He hesitated to step all the way inside and kept the door open when he spotted Cloud on his way back. The blonde weaved through and stopped beside the car, but didn’t step off his bike. “The Turks were out there,” he said, panting slightly. Cloud had blood splattered across his arm and he didn’t even know it until he saw Reeve staring at the wound. 

“I know. I’m going back to headquarters. They steered the chopper that way, so I’m assuming that’s where they’re headed,” Reeve replied. “You should follow.”

Cid and Vincent appeared seconds behind him, quickly catching up while Reeve secured himself in the back seat of the sedan. They followed him through the city to the pristine building and left their vehicles at the private back entrance. 

“Cloud, you’re dripping blood on the floor,” Reeve said.

Cloud lifted his arm. He was, but it mattered little to him. He ripped his sleeve without care and wrapped the wound as best he could, tying it off with his makeshift bandage. They slipped into his office after a brief elevator ride to the top floor and a quick jaunt down the massive hallway. 

“I was wondering when you would catch up,” Rufus said in that refined, almost haughty tone of voice. He had changed little since the last they had seen him. His ashy blonde hair, although slightly longer now, lay in the same wispy style, parted and combed to the left of his slender face. His skin had more color now that they had cured him of his Geostigma, even looked like he had been out in the sun, perhaps vacationing in Kalm. He had tucked the right side of his hair behind his ear to keep it out of his eyes. He still donned a suit in that white palette he so admired, but with fewer buckles and straps this time, something a little more trim. It almost made him look younger than he was.

Reeve rounded his desk and took a seat behind it. Shockingly enough, Rufus kept his place and remained sitting on the couch in the middle of the room. Only Tseng and Elena were there with him, standing at attention behind the leather sofa and neither spoke a word. Perhaps Rude and Reno lingered in the chopper in case they needed to get away quickly, but their relationship was not as hostile as it had once been.

“To what do I owe the pleasure,” Reeve said, trying his best to hide the irritation in his voice. Despite having worked together occasionally to right the wrongs of the world, they were not the best of friends and neither man felt the need to fake it now.

“I’ve come to help you with your little monster infestation,” Rufus replied. “It only makes sense that I do, given this is partially my fault.”

Reeve frowned. His chair squeaked softly as he sat back. “How is this partially your fault?”

“I never tried to stop it,” Rufus answered.

“Stop what?” Cloud asked. “Are you telling me there’s stuff down in the underground we still don’t know about?”

“Possibly. Even I didn’t know what was going on down there entirely. Hojo was a sick bastard, as you well know.” Rufus smirked, though it didn’t feel like a humorous conversation. Maybe he enjoyed watching Cloud squirm. Maybe he was being honest. One could never tell with him. “That’s beside the point. What I can tell you is that some of my personal property has gone missing. For the past few months, I’ve been trying to figure out what could have possibly happened to it, and lo and behold, I catch wind of a little science experiment.”

“Science experiment?” Reeve echoed. 

“That professor of yours—Holt, I believe his name is—somehow breached and stole years of files from my personal storage. We retrieved everything we could, which wasn’t much,” Rufus explained, “everything from our research on Geostigma to the enhancement of SOLDIER-C class.” He lifted his hand in Elena’s direction. “My loyal Turk here happened across this information after digging into why these monsters have been making their way up from the underground. Or rather, trying to dig their way back down. We were curious about why it was happening, and that’s when she came across the missing data on Zack Fair.”

Cloud balled his hand into a fist, leather glove creaking. “You knew about what they were doing to Zack this whole time?”

“Of course not.” Rufus scoffed at the suggestion. “I was not yet in charge. I did not order his death or his retrieval and subsequent revival, so your anger is misplaced.”

Cloud took a step forward. “Then why didn’t you say something when you found out? You had access to those files and at some point you found out about him before I did. You could have told someone. You could have told me.”

Rufus leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “How would digging through every science experiment these researchers perform benefit me? It’s nearly impossible to keep up with--”

“Quit calling it that. Zack was _not_ a science experiment,” Cloud spat, growing angrier by the second.

“That is _exactly_ what he was, Cloud. The sooner you understand that, the better off you'll be,” Rufus said.

Cloud took another step forward. This time, he reached for his sword hilt and both Tseng and Elena rounded the couch and drew their weapons. Rufus waved them off. He knew Cloud wouldn’t do it, wouldn’t strike him down, not there in Reeve’s office. Surely, not anywhere he would be caught on security footage. 

Reeve stood from his seat and moved over to Cloud, placed his hand firmly on the man’s uninjured arm. “I think you need to step out of the room,” he said in a low voice.

“He’s fine,” Rufus said. “He has every right to be angry.” Everyone turned their attention back to Rufus as he continued. “Now, where was I? Oh, right--Professor Holt. At this point, regardless of what I know and when I learned about it, what we are aware of is that he has both electronic and paper files in his possession, and I can bet you he is long gone with them by now. Tell me, Reeve. When is the last time you spoke to or seen him with your own eyes?”

Reeve frowned, thinking back to the last time they came in contact. He dropped his hand from Cloud’s arm. “I cannot believe this,” he muttered.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Cloud demanded. “Why now? Why wait until we’re this deep in it?”

Rufus turned his gaze to the blonde and considered his inquiry. “Everything was fine for a while. That irritating little child Kadaj and his brothers were gone, Sephiroth was gone. When we caught wind of activity in the ruins, I have to admit, it disturbed me. You and I are not so different, Cloud. I want nothing but to live out my life peacefully until my time on this planet is over, and I am certain, after everything you’ve been through, you feel the same way. I wouldn’t have gotten so involved if this had nothing to do with me, but now it’s personal. I want my research back and I want it out of the hands of some feckless mad scientist who thinks he can become the next Hojo. Do you know Holt used to be one of his assistants?”

No one said anything about the revelation. It would take time to sink in.

“Yes, I did a little research of my own on that matter. He worked with him for a few years under my father’s reign,” Rufus said, “and then he kept quiet after everything happened during the first go around. He kept his head down, didn’t make any noise, didn’t bring any attention to himself. He waited until the perfect opportunity came along to play god and he got his chance with Zack Fair.”

The name hit Cloud in the gut, almost as if someone shot him halfway across the room, but the blonde held in his anger.

Rufus continued. “By the time I had stepped down and Reeve took over, he was already deep into whatever insanity he was trying to achieve. Zack should have died out there, but he didn’t. My father gave Holt a platform to continue and I can guarantee he has everything to do with why these creatures are here now. I cannot explain the science behind why and I won’t even begin to speculate. What I do know is that this has something to do with whatever Holt did to bring Zack back from the brink of death.”

“It still makes little sense,” Vincent said, stepping forward. “What could Holt have done to Zack, with the science your company has toyed around with, that would summon these creatures? You say you don’t understand it, but I feel you might be leaving out pertinent information.”

Rufus chuckled under his breath. “It is no longer my company.”

“You may not hold the title of president any longer, but it is still your family business,” Vincent reminded him.

“That is true,” Rufus agreed. “And yet I have never claimed to understand the science behind it.” 

“Then you are complicit in what’s happened here,” Vincent said. 

“Look--” Reeve interjected “--whatever Rufus has or hasn’t done doesn’t matter. He’s here now and this conversation, albeit frustrating and interminable, is actually making some sort of sense. Just a few weeks ago we had no idea what these creatures were doing or why they were doing it. Now we might be able to find an explanation.”

“I am certain you will begin to understand what’s going on here if you can retrieve those files,” Rufus said. He stood from the couch and pulled at the lapels of his blazer. He smoothed them down, fixing the already immaculately pressed fabric. Tseng and Elena followed Rufus to the door where he paused a moment before making his way out of the office. “Whatever you decide to do to him as punishment is up to you. All I want are my research notes so that something like this can never happen again.” And just like that, Rufus slipped into the hallway with the Turks on his tail.

Reeve pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed a number while the rest of them watched curiously. “It’s me,” he said to the person on the other end. “Send a team of men to Professor Holt’s residence. I need you to see if he’s there, and I need to know if he has left behind any research notes. Check the area and most importantly get inside that house. Speak with his neighbors. Get video surveillance of him from anywhere nearby if you can.” Reeve paused a moment and hummed, nodded. “Good. Contact me if you learn anything.” He ended the call and set his phone on the desk, leaned against it for support. “I am so, so sorry for all of this,” he muttered.

“It’s not your fault,” Cloud told him. “Apparently, even Rufus didn’t know.”

“But it is my fault.” Reeve sighed, sat heavily into his chair again. “I should have known. I should have been more aware.”

“Cloud’s right. You did the best you knew how,” Cid said. “I can’t imagine running the whole show is easy. You’re bound to miss some things.”

“Forgive me for not agreeing with you, Cid, but this isn’t just some little thing.” Reeve leaned to the side in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We need to find him. We need to find Holt and figure out how to fix this mess.”

\--

Tifa leapt off the stool and rushed Cloud when he stepped into the bar. It was morning by the time he came back, and dark grey clouds blanketed the city. A light rain fell over the streets. It drenched his shivering frame, but the blonde ignored the fact that he was soaked. Tifa didn’t, however. She grabbed a towel from behind the bar to wipe some of the rain from the exposed skin of his arms. She only pulled back when he let out a hiss. “Cloud, what happened to you?” Tifa leaned back to look him over.

“I’m fine,” he told her. Something must have nicked his side, too. He would have to check it out later.

“That’s not what I asked. Your arm is--” Tifa tried to get a better look, but he turned it away from her and she huffed. “When Zack told me you had gone, I was so worried. We saw the explosions from the ruins. Is everything okay? Do we need to get the kids out of here?”

Cloud glanced at Zack who sat unmoving on a stool at the bar. He wanted to explain what had happened when, from behind, the door opened and Vincent and Cid walked in. Tifa took a step back. She looked from him to the gunman, then turned her gaze to Cid and back to Cloud. 

“What’s going on here?” Tifa asked.

“You might want to sit down,” Cid said. They moved to a table and crowded around. Barret joined them a few minutes later. He had been upstairs making sure the kids knew not to come down until given permission. The pilot took the liberty of explaining what had happened, everything from their arrival to the scene to being surprised by the chopper. Even Vincent filled in some of the details of what took place during their conversation with Rufus, but it was Cloud who rounded things out when it came to Zack.

“Rufus seems to think whatever Holt did to bring you back is having a direct effect on these creature’s behavior.” Cloud shifted where he sat. He felt more sore than he had realized, but that was the least of his worries. “Whatever research he’s gotten his hands on is the key to finding out why they’re here now.”

A frown pulled at Zack’s brow as the realization swept over him. This was all starting to sound familiar. Uncomfortably familiar. “The man who oversaw my case...has now gone missing after he stole Professor Hojo’s research.” Zack’s face went pale. Cloud saw the cogs working in his mind, saw him replay everything he had so desperately tried to escape from as if he were watching a movie of it. His breathy reply came out with a struggle. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Zack stood from the table, nearly stumbled backward, but caught himself stepping over the bench seat. Cloud shot up and followed him outside into the rain. “Where are you going?” He had to hustle to keep up with the man, to hear his reply.

“What did he _do_ to me, Cloud?” Zack asked over the roar of falling rain. They walked down the street together and a few moments later Cloud caught up. “I can’t live like this anymore!” Rain streamed down Zack’s face, mixing in with the tears that stung his eyes, made them red. People were staring now. 

“I don’t know. I wish I knew,” Cloud said. He reached for Zack’s arm, but that didn’t stop him. 

“Is this even real? Am _I_ real?” Zack didn’t stop. He barreled down the road as a freight train would, hauling its heavy load down the track and nothing could stop him. Nothing and no one but Cloud.  
  
The blonde pulled at him forcefully now, grabbed his forearm, and steered them into an alleyway out of the foot traffic. The motion seemed to snap Zack from his trance. “Listen to me,” he said, forcing Zack to look him in the eyes. “You are real. This is very real, and right now I’m having a hard time watching you like this.” 

Zack said nothing, just listened as Cloud had begged him to.

“I nearly pulled my sword on Rufus today,” Cloud continued. “I might have cut him down if things were different, but he’s right about what he said. Everything leading up to this was already set in motion before you and I even got involved. Sephiroth...hell, even Vincent tried to stop it and he paid the price long before you and I were even born. Whatever is in those files is going to help us figure out how to stop these things. I swear to you, Zack, that I will track him down and make him pay.”

Zack stared, transfixed on Cloud. “I just want to stop feeling like I’m in some bad dream,” he muttered. “Every day I wake up and I’m not sure I actually have. It makes me sick to my stomach. Sometimes I can’t tell the difference between reality and if I’m just...laying in some hospital bed tied up with tubes and wires in a coma, or if my soul is just caught up in the Lifestream. This is real, right? You would tell me if it wasn't.”

Cloud reached up and placed his hand on the side of Zack’s face, then he reached up with the other. “This is real and I hate that I have to admit it." He smiled weakly. "I’m going to help you, Zack,” he said. “We’re going to figure this out.”

Zack nodded. He trusted Cloud, but he pitied himself and detested how weak he had become. “I want to see my parents.” The tears came again, making his voice waiver. “I want things to be normal.”  
  
“Okay, then.” Cloud had to force himself not to give into his own guilt or give into something else, something budding behind his eyes, swelling his head. Pressure? He pushed that aside. “We’ll find them.” His vision went blurry for a second but came back into focus.

“Will you come with me to see them?" Zack asked; a slight bit of hope sounded in his voice now. 

“Yes, I will.” He trembled as the cold pierced straight through his skin and into his core. Cloud was tired. He could fall asleep right there if he closed his eyes long enough, but Zack needed him to be his strength. His brow twitched. Cloud winced at a jolt of pain in his ribs. Then came the burning sensation. His hands went limp on Zack’s face, arms grew heavy as though filled with sand and began to fall slowly down his shoulders.

“Cloud,” he heard Zack say, but the man sounded like he was across the street. “Cloud, stay with me.” His head tilted forward, forehead pressed against Zack’s chest. Cloud heard himself say something in response only for the words to come out a jumbled mess. Maybe Zack understood them. He didn’t, though. Cloud tried to lift his head this time, but his face dragged over the wet fabric of Zack’s shirt. It almost felt like he was drunk, but he hadn't had a drop of alcohol in more than a week. And then he felt himself drop to the ground only for Zack to catch him halfway before he could fall to the cold, wet pavement. 


	10. Chapter 10

Cloud peeled his eyes open, squinted when the sunlight shining through the open window hit his face. He winced, took his time to come out of the haze of sleep still clutching to his mind, and slowly, gingerly pushed himself upright. It took a moment for it all to come back to him. They were no longer in the city, but the small town south of Costa Del Sol in the eastern Corel area on their way to Gongaga. He kept his promise to Zack, the promise he made in that alleyway where the rain soaked them to the bone, the promise to find Zack’s parents for him. This was just one stop on the way down south. It would take some time to get there, but Reeve insisted they take all the time they needed. What Rufus and the Turks had done for them, for the city, bought everyone a little more time to deal with the situation in Edge.

_“You should do it,” Reeve said. “I want the both of you to take time away from here and relax. Don’t worry about anything else.”_

_Cloud shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He glanced at Zack who returned the look. Reeve had come to check on Cloud after catching wind of what took place. Having only slept an hour here and there across a handful of days, pushing himself physically, mentally, turned out to have taken quite the toll on Cloud’s health. Zack was forced to carry the blonde back to the bar after he had collapsed against him in the alleyway on that rainy day._

_“Reeve is right,” Tifa agreed. “Cloud, you’ve done enough here, and with Rufus involved now, after what he did, he’s bought us all some time to reorganize. I think it would be a good idea to take a little time away . And I’m sure Zack’s parents will be relieved to know he’s alright.”_

_Cloud glanced down at his hands in his lap. He entwined his fingers and tapped his thumbs together, thinking. It wasn’t up to him, though. If that was what Zack wanted, that was what they would do._

_“It_ is _what I want,” Zack said._

_“Then we’ll go to Gongaga.” Cloud pulled his hands apart, stood from the edge of the bed, and glanced around the room as if looking for something._

_Tifa took note of his concern and stood as well. She gave his arm a reassuring stroke and squeeze. “It’ll be alright. We’re fine here. I have Barret with me and you know the kids will be okay. I’m sure they’ll miss you, but they’ll understand.”_

_Cloud looked into Tifa’s eyes, searched them. She knew him inside and out, always had, always would. “I know,” he said._

_She smiled, nodded. “Good. Then you should pack. Don’t worry about anything else, okay?” Tifa let go of Cloud’s arm and moved around the room. She pulled a bag from the closet which she used to put some of his clothes inside. He kept a few shirts, pants, and other accessories there in case he stayed the night, but most of his things were at his apartment._

Cloud slipped out of bed and moved across the inn room to dig through his bag. He heard the shower running in the bathroom, so he would have to wait to brush his teeth, but at least he could take a moment of silence to fully wake up. He moved to the window to stare out over the water. It was nice there, quiet. A far cry from city life. It almost reminded him of his home, but with much less snow and a lot more sand and water. For once, Cloud felt a moment of peace looking out over the beach.

Just a few hours prior, they had disembarked the Highwind, thanked and said goodbye to Cid for now. The pilot had generously offered to take them across the sea to the middle continent since he was headed that way anyway. They would see one another again, but for now they had to part ways. Zack and Cloud would have to figure out a way to get down to Gongaga themselves now that they were on their own. 

He turned toward the sound of the bathroom door opening and stared at Zack when the dark-haired man emerged. Zack wore a towel around his waist, exposing his midsection. Water dripped from his hair, slid down his shoulders and chest, down the muscles of his abdomen. 

“You’re awake,” Zack said. He pulled a t-shirt out of his bag and slipped it on over his wet skin. Cloud wouldn’t have done that himself. He was picky that way, needed to be dry after getting out of the shower before putting on any clothes.

“Sorry.” Cloud spun toward the window and nervously cleared his throat.

“Don’t be sorry.” Zack shuffled around his bag some more and pulled out the rest of his outfit. Cloud could hear him take the towel off and toss it somewhere, and a moment later, when he turned back, Zack finished zipping up the zipper of his pants. “I was hoping you'd sleep a little longer, but it's fine. How do you feel?”

“I’m fine,” Cloud said. He moved from the window and dug around in his own bag, grabbing clean clothes and toiletries. “That day was a fluke. I had slept little before that.”

“Yeah, well, you still scared the hell out of everyone, _and_ me.” Zack smiled as he sat at the foot of the bed. He grabbed the towel and tossed it over his hair, ruffled it around to get out most of the moisture. “Bathroom’s free when you’re ready. I tried not to use all the hot water.”

Cloud hesitated. His mind churned at a million miles per hour. He knew he shouldn’t let it get the best of him, but it was hard to ignore his racing thoughts. 

Zack rested the towel around his shoulders. “You look like you want to say something.”

Cloud opened his mouth to respond. There were times when he could come up with an explanation, but Zack made it difficult for him to lie. Not that he wanted to. He felt embarrassed, caught red-handed as a kid would with their hand in the cookie jar. Few people could send Cloud to the floor with a knowing look or accusatory comment. And when it happened, he wished he hadn’t let his guard down.

“It’s nothing,” Cloud said.

Zack let it go, much to his relief. “I know a lot of things are uncertain right now. Everyone wants to know what’s going on and why, but it’s not going to do anything for us to focus on what we can’t control.” He paused, gathered his thoughts, and realized Cloud was staring at him. “What?”

“Ah, it’s...just that--” Cloud reached behind his head and scratched his hair. “You seem a little different, but exactly the same all at once. It’s weird.”

“Weird?” Zack smiled. Cloud knew that expression, a crooked little smirk. 

“Not like _weird,_ weird, but just…” Cloud shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Zack let out a snort under his breath. “It would be weird if I came out of this the same.” He fell back on the bed and slipped his hands under his head, laced his fingers together. “Losing Angeal, Sephiroth...losing myself. I lost a lot I didn’t even know was gone.” Zack winced at that. Cloud felt the pang of guilt about Aerith, too, but kept quiet and listened. “It would be weird if I were to come out of it like nothing had happened.” The room fell silent between them and neither said anything for a long moment. Zack sat upright again, this time leaning back on his hands. “I didn’t lose everything, though.” He smiled again. “That’s all I want to focus on.”

Cloud glanced down at the floor, unable to meet Zack’s gaze. “When I lost you up there on the cliff, I lost a lot more than I thought I did. I lost my mind,” he admitted, and felt his cheeks flush with nervous heat. “Literally.”

Zack frowned, but said nothing and listened.

“I wasn’t myself,” Cloud said. “I don’t even know if I knew who I was before that, but it really messed me up. Not that I’m blaming you for what happened. You got me close enough to Midgar that I could find Tifa again. I've always wanted to thank you for that. And then I just…” Cloud shrugged. “I lost my mind.” He wondered if he should tell Zack what they had done on their journey to defeat Sephiroth the first time, but it came spewing out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “I met your parents, Zack, a few years ago. I didn’t even know it but we passed through Gongaga. They thought I was in SOLDIER and asked me if I knew anyone named Zack. Because I was so...out of my mind, I told them I didn’t know. Aerith and Tifa were with me, and they left the house after that. I was so confused because they were acting weird when really they knew exactly what was going on.” He let out a shaky sigh. 

Zack stood from the bed and closed the distance between them, wrapped his arms around Cloud. “I don’t know why you look like you feel guilty but you have no reason to. I would be surprised if you told me you snapped out of it after everything Hojo did. He used us. He used you and it doesn’t make any sense that you would leave the lab without some scars.”

Cloud slowly but surely lifted his arms and wrapped them around Zack. “I just feel like I should have been able to snap out of it.”

Zack laughed softly, shook his head. “Stop it. Okay? You’re here now. You’re the Cloud I remember and that has to mean something.” He kissed the side of Cloud’s head as naturally as the hug came, and the two of them pulled back a bit to glance at each other.

Cloud physically took a step out of the hug, nervously cleared his throat. “I should take a shower,” he said, and he stopped when Zack grabbed his forearm.

“Look at me,” Zack said. His words were enough for Cloud to obey. Cloud couldn’t look anywhere else. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I wouldn’t want to make this trip with anyone else.”

Cloud nodded slowly. “You’re welcome,” he said. Zack let go of his arm so he could wash in the bathroom.

\--

They took a few more days to get to their destination. Zack insisted on finding a place to crash every so often, and at some point it became apparent to Cloud that he was stalling. He understood completely and did not question it, only went along for the journey as a friend, as moral support. When they made it to the outskirts of town, their options for spending the night somewhere became limited. They would have to head into Gongaga if they didn’t want to sleep out under the stars. 

The little inn as they came into the village offered shelter for the night. It wasn’t big by any means and only offered a chair in the corner of the room, one queen-sized bed, a dresser with an old television atop it, and a cramped closet-space of a bathroom with a sink, toilet, and narrow standing shower. Though not ideal, it would do for the night.

Zack became quieter the closer they got to the village. When they arrived, he didn’t say much at all, seemingly lost in his thoughts and more than likely thinking through the potential scenarios. What if his parents had moved away, out of town? Perhaps one of the villagers would know. At least they could head out with some knowledge of where to go next. What if they weren’t alive? Either his mother or father or both of them could have passed away. They wouldn’t know until they started asking around. The first person they asked was the innkeeper.

“Mr. and Mrs. Fair? Yeah, I know ‘em,” the old man said as he counted the money Cloud had given him. “They’re real nice folk. Keep to themselves mostly, but nice. They changed a bit, though, a while back. Had a son who went off to become a SOLDIER, I think, and they just didn’t hear from him for the longest time. I think eventually they got a letter confirming his death, but we don’t talk about it. Real sad.”

Cloud glanced at Zack, saw the nodule in his throat bob as he swallowed a nervous lump down. 

With the money in the lockbox, the old man leaned forward and asked, “Why do you wanna know?”

“Oh, we’re just...old friends from out of town and wanted to visit,” Cloud said. 

“You don’t look old to me,” the old man mumbled. “You still look pretty young.”

“Uh, yeah...extended family,” Cloud explained. 

The old man eyed them a while longer until the explanation satisfied him. “Alright then, here’s the key.” He handed it to Cloud, who stuffed it in his pocket. “If you need any more sheets and blankets, just knock on the door. We have breakfast next door in the morning if you’re up early enough. Sorry I don’t have anything bigger for you boys, but not too many people pass through the village. You understand.”

“It’s alright,” Zack replied. “We’ll make do. Thank you, though.”

The old man nodded and wished them a good night. It was nearly midnight by then, and they made their way to the tiny room and immediately sat down to take a load off their feet.

“I’m almost beginning to think this was a bad idea,” Zack said. He got up almost immediately after sitting down and paced the room, brought his hand up to his mouth to gnaw at his thumbnail. 

“Zack, they need to know you’re alive,” Cloud said as he watched Zack move back and forth. “We’re already here. There’s no way we’re going back now.”

Zack paused at the foot of the bed and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just--”

“I know you’re nervous. I would be, too, if I could see my mom again.”

Zack glanced at Cloud. The lines of his face pulled into a frown and he sat down on the bed next to the blonde. “I’m really sorry. I know I shouldn’t feel this way. They’re my parents and I know they love me.”

“It’s alright. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” Cloud tried to give Zack a reassuring look, but he was tired. His eyes burned and all he wanted was to sleep. A yawn made its way out of him, even though he tried to stifle it. “Let’s wash up. We’ll get some rest, maybe get a bite to eat, and go to your parents’ house in the morning.”

Zack groaned loudly, let his body fall to the side behind Cloud’s back. 

Cloud chuckled under his breath. He stood and grabbed some clothes out of his bag. “I’m gonna shower first if that’s okay with you.” 

“Sure, but don’t take too long in the shower. I’m pretty sure the old man had to physically pump hot water into this place,” Zack teased. “It really hasn’t changed since I left.” He sat upright now.

“Well, you’ve seen my home town. It’s not much better,” Cloud replied. “And the pipes froze in the deep winter all the time. We really did have to boil the water for our baths.”

“Go take your shower.” Zack waved his hand in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll just...sit here and gnaw off my thumb.”

Cloud took a few minutes in the shower to clean the most important parts. That is, after the water heated to a reasonable temperature. It took some time to get there, but when it did, he didn’t bother washing his hair. It didn’t need a thorough cleaning just yet, and it helped to cut his time down in the bathroom. Once clean, Cloud dried off, slipped into something a little lighter to sleep in considering the temperatures down south were still warm in the winter. And then it was time for Zack to do the same.

While Zack washed up, Cloud sent Tifa a text message to let her know they had arrived safely in Gongaga. He had been in contact with her the entire time, updating her on their location and how things were going. He knew the communication would soothe her concerns. It quelled his own, being so far away from home once again. The pictures she sent of the kids even brought a smile to his face.

He glanced up at Zack when he came out of the bathroom in only pajama bottoms. Cloud set his phone on the table beside the bed for the night and shifted in the chair. “You can take the bed,” he told Zack.

“Are you serious? I have no problem sleeping on the floor or in the chair,” Zack said. “The old man said we could get some more blankets if we need them.”

“I’m sure. I’m used to it.”

“Oh, come on.” Zack crawled into bed after lifting the covers aside. “Don’t tell me you sleep on the floor in your apartment.”

Cloud snorted at the thought. “What’s the point in having a bed if I did that?” He wouldn’t tell the man that he had, at one point, slept on the floor of the church next to Aerith’s flowers. No one else needed to know that.

“Good question.” Zack slipped his legs under the covers and shimmied downward. “We can share the bed, then.” 

“I--” Cloud wasn’t expecting that suggestion, but he didn’t outright decline. Wouldn’t sharing a bed be weird? Zack didn’t seem to think the idea an awkward one.

“I promise I won’t fart or anything like that.” Zack turned onto his side once he was comfortable. “See? There’s still plenty of room. I’m kind of surprised, actually. This thing looks like it was made for a child.”

After a brief moment of thought, of imagining how the conversation would go if he declined to at least take the bed himself, Cloud let out a heavy sigh and stood from the chair. He crawled under the covers and lay on his back so he could stare up at the ceiling, but first he flicked the lamp off and the room went pitch black. Zack shifted onto his back, too, turned his head so he could look at Cloud.

“Thank you,” Zack said softly now that the lights were off.

“For what?”

“For bringing me all this way. And for humoring me now. I’m actually nervous. Kinda feels like I might puke.” Cloud snapped his head to the side, stared wide-eyed at Zack who chuckled and shook his head. “I said _kind_ of. I won’t puke. I promise. My nerves are just bouncing up and down. My head’s all over the place.”

Cloud sighed. “It’s the least I can do, after everything you’ve done for me.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Cloud. I hope you know that.”

Cloud said nothing. He accepted what Zack was telling him, but he couldn’t fight the feeling that he owed the man his life. After all, he had quite literally put his life on the line to protect him and paid dearly for it.

“Goodnight, Zack,” Cloud said. “Try to get some rest.”

He felt the mattress move as Zack shifted onto his other side. “Night, Cloud.” 

Within minutes of closing his eyes, Cloud drifted to sleep. In some odd way, having Zack so close to him, close enough that he could feel the warmth emanating from his body, helped to calm his own nerves. Cloud didn’t dream that night. Or maybe he did and he couldn’t remember what he had dreamed when he woke the next morning. He was just as oblivious to his dreams as he was the struggle Zack had falling to sleep. 

\--

Bright rays of sun filtered in through the curtains. They warmed Cloud’s face as he slept peacefully for once. He realized his mind rousing from its slumber when his first coherent thought had been if Zack was still there. Cloud peeled one eye open first, then the other, and he peered over his shoulder to find the spot next to him empty. Down the hall, the door to the inn room opened and Zack slipped inside. He was carrying something. A plate, it looked like. He shut the door with his foot and brought the plate to the bed.

“You’re awake,” Zack said.

Cloud sat upright, rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What is that?”

“Breakfast. I figured you would be hungry.” Zack handed the plate to Cloud, but it confused the blonde. “Remember? The old man said they had food in the morning. I figured I’d go grab something since we didn’t eat last night.”

“You’re not going to eat?”

Zack got up and moved around the room, fixing stuff that didn’t need to be fixed, trying to get his nervous energy out on something productive. “I couldn’t eat anything right now. I might actually puke it up this time.”

Cloud set the plate aside and got out of bed. “Maybe you should sit down.”

Zack stopped in his tracks. He stared out of the window. A nervous frown pulled at his face as he spotted two people walking through the open space in the tiny village. He looked like he wanted to say something, but it took him a while to come up with the words. “Every time I think of knocking on that door, I imagine something goes wrong. Like...once it opens, I’ll just disappear into thin air. Or they won’t recognize me and refuse to believe I’m their son and slam on the door in my face.” He heaved a heavy sigh, dropped his head. “I don’t even know what I’m going to tell them about what happened to me. I can’t do that. They’ll lose it.”

“Then we don’t have to. We can just...leave out some stuff.”

Zack nodded in agreement. “If my mom and dad knew the truth, they would make a big stink about it. I know things have changed, but they’d be out for blood and I don’t think I’m ready to handle that. I don’t want to break their hearts, either.” He paused, thinking. “Does that sound stupid?”

Cloud shook his head. “No, it doesn’t sound stupid. It sounds pretty reasonable to me.”

“I just don’t know if I can go through with this,” Zack admitted. He heaved a heavy sigh, let his shoulders drop. “I know we’re here and I know you took the time to come with me, but maybe it’s better they think I’m dead.”

“How could you say something like that?” Cloud moved to him, closed the distance between them. “I thought you were dead and it was one of the most horrible things I’ve ever had to accept. When Reeve brought me to you, I could hardly believe my eyes. I thought I was in a dream. We’re just friends, Zack. _They’re_ your _parents_. They need to know their son is alive. They’ll want to know. And what you’re feeling right now may just...go away when you see that for yourself.”

Cloud’s words must have resonated with Zack. He pulled the blonde into a great big hug, squeezing firmly. “You’re right,” he whispered as he buried his face into the crook of Cloud’s neck. “What would I do without you?”

It felt weird to hear Zack say that, especially when their roles had been reversed a few years back. Cloud had joined the military with the intent on becoming a great SOLDIER like Sephiroth the war hero, but those plans had not panned out. Instead, he had met someone more attainable, someone with a good heart who wound up befriending him, who had gone to great lengths to save his life. To hear those words gave Cloud a comfort he had longed for, didn’t think he could ever have again.

“I could say the same thing,” Cloud murmured, face pressed against Zack’s shoulder. 

They stayed that way a little while longer before Zack pulled back first. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat and pointed to the plate on the nightstand. “You should eat something before we go. It’ll make me feel better.”

Cloud glanced at the plate, then turned his gaze back to Zack. “Me eating will make you feel better?”

Zack couldn’t help himself. He slowly smiled, nodded. “Please? I went to all this trouble to get you the food. The least you could do is eat for me.”

He knew he was teasing him, but Cloud preferred to see Zack’s playful side than the part of him that harbored fear and anxiety. If eating would make Zack feel better, Cloud would wipe the plate clean. He did so in a few minutes and told Zack he was going to wash up. After that, they agreed to head out and to his childhood home, to visit his parents once more.

\--

Zack lifted his fist to knock, but hesitated. He looked to Cloud for reassurance, nervous about what would happen when he did work up the courage to announce their arrival.

“It’s okay,” Cloud told him. He gently jerked his head toward the door with encouragement to try again, but Zack dropped his hand.

“I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can.” Cloud balled his hand into a fist but didn’t knock right away. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m right here with you. We can do this together.”

Zack sucked in a deep breath of air and it came out shaking. He nodded, “Right,” and watched as Cloud knocked on the front door. They had replaced it with a new one from the last time he had gone. This one had different carvings above the eyehole, a floral design he was sure his mother had part in.

The sound of footsteps against the wooden floor echoed the closer they got. Cloud reached out and squeezed Zack’s hand to reassure him, but he pulled it away before the door could open. The older woman who answered stood a few inches shorter than Cloud, and her once black hair had gone grey. In such a few short years, she had transformed in the face, but she still had a familiarity to her.

“Yes?” the woman said, eyeing Cloud first.

“Mrs. Fair?” Cloud spoke for them. “My name is Cloud Strife. We met a few years back on our way through town. You may not remember me, but I was with two other women at the time...Aerith and Tifa.”

Mrs. Fair frowned as if she remembered, but did not understand why he was there. When her eyes turned to Zack, they widened, and she took a few unsteady steps back. “No,” they heard her whisper. “It can’t be.”

Zack glanced at Cloud but stepped inside, pushing the door open. “Mom?” 

“Zack?” Her mouth hung slack, chin trembled, eyes glistened with the threat of tears. The cry that exploded from her throat came out louder than anything he had heard, a strangled cry of disbelief, of confirmation her hopes had not been in vain. It was almost as though someone had slapped her hard across the face and shoved her to the floor. She remained upright, however, with her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream.

Cloud stepped inside behind Zack but lingered near in the doorway.

“You’re dead,” she whispered, having moved her hand away from her mouth. “They sent us a letter. They said you died.”

“I know.” Cloud could tell Zack wanted to run away. He could see it in his face, see it in the way he gave her some space and didn’t immediately hug his mother. “I know you did, but it’s not true. I’m here,” he told her. “I’m back.”

Mrs. Fair shook her head, looked to Cloud and then to Zack. “But _how_?”

Zack let out a heavy sigh, dropped his arms to his sides. He hardly knew what to say to that other than: “It’s a long story.”

“But you said you...you told us you didn’t know--” Mrs. Fair turned her words to Cloud. They cut into him like a knife. He was just glad he had been honest with Zack about his visit years ago the night before. It made having to explain one more thing much less of a roadblock to tackle.

“That doesn’t matter,” Zack told her. He opened his mouth to say something and heard his father’s voice from upstairs.

“What’s going on down there?” Mr. Fair carefully made his way down the stairs. He looked older, too. His previously greying hair had gone salt and pepper all over, and the lines of his face had hardened at his eyes, at the corners of his mouth, and on his forehead. “What--” He stopped at the bottom step at the sight of Zack, at the sight of his son. “What is this?”

“It’s me,” Zack said, voice nearly cracking as he held back tears.

“Our son,” Mrs. Fair said as he moved to her husband. He wrapped his arms around her trembling frame, jerking with sobs, but slowly let go as he approached Zack. 

“I don’t understand,” Mr. Fair confessed. “How is this possible?” He reached out for Zack despite his own hesitation and they latched onto one another, all of them hugging now that the initial shock had passed. 

Cloud shut the front door quietly behind them and stood off to the side, not wanting to impede their tearful reunion. Even Zack shed a few tears, but it was mostly his parents who bawled joyous cries knowing their son was alive. He took a seat when they offered it to him. Cloud had to admit he felt out of place for such an emotional homecoming. The last thing he would do was abandon Zack, however. He meant to keep his promise, even if it entailed sitting uncomfortably while Zack’s parents stammered over their words. They asked him so many questions, bouncing from one subject to another, even if he didn’t have any answers.

“I’m sorry we have little else to offer,” Mrs. Fair said. Nearly an hour had gone by since they arrived, much to Cloud’s surprise. They offered them seats, cool drinks since it was warm that day, and food to eat. Zack accepted the treats now that his nerves had calmed somewhat, but Cloud only had a bite or two of his own. It felt like his own stress had grown immensely. Even so, he tried to hide it. 

“How long did it take you two to get here? Did you bring anyone else along or is it just the two of you?” 

“Just us," Zack replied. "It took a couple of days. One of Cloud’s friends flew us over onto the continent and we made our way down from Costa Del Sol.”

“That is quite a journey,” Mr. Fair replied. Both of them eyed Zack, couldn’t tear their gazes away from him. It was as though they were staring at a ghost, and Cloud knew exactly how that felt.

“To hear what you’ve been through since then,” Mrs. Fair said. “I can hardly believe it. I can hardly believe Cloud that you met Zack. It was such a coincidence for you to stop here those years ago.”

Cloud nodded, nervous to even have to think about it. “I’m just...glad I was able to find him.”

The two of them shared a glance and Zack smiled at Cloud, silently thanking him with his eyes. 

“Well, I just don’t even know what to say,” Mrs. Fair admitted. “I don’t want you to ever leave us again, but I know that isn’t reasonable. Where are you living now? Are you in the city? Do you have your own place?”

Zack nodded. “I have an apartment in Edge. The military is paying for it.”

“It’s the least they could do after everything that happened,” Mr. Fair grumbled. Zack went along with his plan to spare them the gruesome details. He told his parents he had been injured in the line of duty and in a coma in another town away from Edge unbeknownst to Shinra. It would spare them the truth, but also tie into the fact that they had received a letter stating his assumed death. No one would truly carry the blame and they could continue on none the wiser. 

“It’s a nice place, so don’t worry about whether I’m comfortable,” Zack told them. “Oh, and Cloud lives in the city, too. And Tifa, the girl who was with Cloud the day he came to see you guys.”

“What about the other one?” Mrs. Fair asked, but the question hit Zack like a freight train. He clammed up, leaned back into his chair and lowered his gaze.

“Ahh...uhm, she’s, uh—no longer with us,” Cloud answered, feeling his cheeks flush. They didn’t need to know that Aerith had been Zack’s girlfriend at one point. That would put too much pressure on his already overly burdened mind. 

“Oh. Well, that is just awful,” Mrs. Fair said. “I am so sorry to hear that. She was very pretty, if I remember. Very lovely.”

Mr. Fair spoke up. “What matters now is that our son is back.” Zack lifted his head at that, relieved knowing they had changed the subject. Both of them wore the biggest smiles. It helped to distract him from his lingering grief. “You will stay, right?”

Zack looked to Cloud who said nothing. “I mean...we can stay for a bit, but we didn’t plan on staying forever.”

“We have so much to catch up on,” Mrs. Fair replied. “ _Please_ stay. For a few days, at least. Oh, this changes everything!” She jumped off the couch and moved to the kitchen, puttering around for more food and drink.

Cloud’s phone buzzed in his pocket just then. He lifted his hip, dug the phone out, and saw Tifa was calling. He glanced at Zack who noticed the phone and the two exchanged a knowing look. Cloud silently excused himself, stepped outside to answer. “Tifa.”

“Cloud.” It was good to hear her voice. He moved a few steps away from the house so as not to be heard from outside. “How is everything? Have you gone to his parents yet?”

“We’re here now,” Cloud said. 

“Oh. I’m sorry! I wouldn’t have called if I had known you were there.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I just stepped outside for a bit. How are things there?”

“Good.” Tifa sighed. “Busy, but good. The kids miss you a lot.”

“And the creatures? What’s been going on with that? I haven’t heard anything about it after what happened with Rufus.”

“Well, it’s been pretty quiet,” Tifa explained. “Vincent is in town and he’s working with Reeve while you’re away. Cid is supposed to come back in the next day or two, but he’s got some things to wrap up before that. It sounds like the creatures are back to digging in the rubble again, but no one’s spotted any near the city since Rufus got involved. I’m sure I’ll hear more about it soon, but that’s about all I know for now.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Cloud said. “You don’t need to focus on anything but the bar and just...living life.”

Tifa chuckled softly. “It’s funny hearing you say that.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s true.” She shifted the phone from one ear to the other. He could hear the noise as she slid it into place in between her head and shoulder. Was she standing at the bar? It was too early for it to be open yet, so he assumed she was cleaning and prepping for opening later on. “Do you have any idea when you’re coming home? The kids keep asking me and I don’t know what to tell them.”

“I’m sorry, Tifa. I don’t,” Cloud answered. “Zack’s parents want him—want us—to stay longer and I get it. They want to catch up now that they know he’s alive. Besides, I don’t feel safe leaving him here on his own, even though I know he’d be fine.”

“So, you’re not sure?”

“Maybe a few days, maybe a week.” Cloud glanced at the front door. “We only just got here, Tifa. I can probably give you a better idea after tonight, maybe tomorrow.”

“I understand. I was just curious.” The silence between them rang loudly in his ear. Normally, she would chat his head off, but she didn’t say much this time. “I should let you go. I know you said you wanted to be there for him. How is Zack, by the way? I know he said he was nervous about seeing them.”

“He’s alright. He felt scared at first, but I know he’s glad to be here.” They had ripped the bandaid off already. Hard part was over.

“Good. Will you tell him I said hi and that I’m really happy for him?”

“I will.” Cloud scratched his ankle with his boot. He heard laughter coming from behind the front door of Zack’s parents’ home and realized he should get back soon. “Listen, I’m going to head inside. I’ll call you later, though.”

“Okay.” Cloud could just imagine the wince Tifa gave. He could feel them drifting further and further apart, even though he felt as close to her as ever. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel abandoned, forgotten about. Cloud still loved her immensely, always had and always would. His feelings for her would never change. And yet, he knew those feelings came with caveats, something he couldn’t shake loose regarding their relationship.

They said their goodbyes and Cloud lingered outside the home for a few more minutes after hanging up. A warm breeze blew past him, ruffled his hair. He had grown accustomed to the warmth of the city, and Gongaga’s climate was no different. Its sprawling desert offered a brief respite from the sun, though it was easier to escape the heat in Edge. Cloud crossed his arms over his chest and stared out at the village circle. People moved about their day unaware of the miracle taking place next door. Surely, Zack’s parents felt it could be nothing less.

He uncrossed his arms and turned to the front door. Cloud stepped back inside to find Mrs. Fair hugging Zack tightly. He reclaimed his seat in the armchair and watched in silence, only when they asked him a question or when Zack encouraged him to pitch into the conversation. Mostly, though, Cloud respected the family reunion and told himself he had done a good thing.

\--

It was well past midnight when they arrived back at the inn room. Mrs. Fair begged Zack and Cloud not to go yet, but Zack’s father reminded her they were only down the road, that they would be back in the morning for breakfast after getting a good night’s rest. She relented, eventually, and kissed him on the cheek, wished him a goodnight. She had even given Cloud a hug and thanked him for bringing her son home. He ignored the pang of guilt he felt for not doing it sooner. He would have to let go of it eventually knowing that was not his fault. 

Zack told Cloud he could wash up first. He would use the bathroom after, and once they were done, once in fresh clothes to sleep in, both crawled into bed as they had the night before. 

They shifted into place, trying to get comfortable, and Cloud settled on his back. He felt the mattress move beside him as Zack did the same. He didn’t realize Zack was on his side staring at him, but when he felt the man’s eyes on him, Cloud turned his head. 

“You okay?” he asked.

“Mhm.” Zack was smiling. Cloud could see the outline of his mouth in the darkness. He hadn’t seen Zack do much of that, really, genuinely smile as widely as he was in the last few weeks. 

“Good.”

Zack was silent for a moment before saying, “I want to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For bringing me here.”

“You already thanked me for that,” Cloud reminded him.

“I know, but...you saw how nervous I was earlier. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now. I wouldn’t have the courage to do this on my own,” Zack explained. “So thank you.”

Cloud nodded. He appreciated Zack’s words of gratitude and wouldn’t question them. “You’re welcome. You know I would do it again in a heartbeat.” He meant it, too. Cloud didn’t expect for Zack to pull him into his arms. He shifted closer against Zack’s body, face pressed against the man’s chest. His stomach fluttered with nerves and his heart hammered against his breastbone. It felt like it might leap right out of his throat if he opened his mouth to speak.

They stayed that way for what felt like ages until Zack reached and lifted Cloud’s chin. Their eyes met and Cloud tried to discreetly swallow a thick lump down his throat. Zack had to know how nervous he was, but that didn’t seem to stop him from what he did next. He leaned in, breath hot against Cloud’s lips, and he kissed him softly. Cloud melted in Zack’s arms, could have turned into a messy puddle with how that mouth tenderly kissed his own.

A soft whimper escaped Cloud’s throat. He hardly recognized it himself, but it most definitely had come from him. And then Zack pulled his lips back with a soft smacking sound. He reached up with one hand to stroke Cloud’s cheek, wrapped his entire arm around Cloud’s back so that the blonde pressed against his chest again.

“Goodnight,” Zack whispered.

Cloud couldn’t find the words to respond. He didn’t have to. He could feel Zack’s body go limp minutes later.


	11. Chapter 11

Reiben quietly shut the door behind him. He sat at the table beside Reeve while Cid and Vincent sat on the other side, waiting for the man to join them. He set his laptop down, pulled the screen open, and brought up the documents he had compiled in the last week of his investigation into Holt.

“What have you got?” Reeve asked.

“Security surveillance from around the building,” Reiben said, typing as he explained, “statements from witnesses both here and in places he was known to patronize, evidence from inside his home, that sort of thing. Turns out his wife is missing, too. I’m not sure if they’re together or if she even knows what’s going on. All the footage I have of him is on his own. We’re still looking into her whereabouts.”

“Any idea on where he is now?” Cid wondered. 

Reiben shook his head. “It seems he’s been trying to keep as under the radar as possible. No credit card usage, no rental cars...hasn’t even paid his bills in the last month. There was a pile of unopened envelopes sitting on the kitchen counter. He’s being careful about his next moves because he’s left behind few clues. What we do know is that he knew we would come looking for him once we started getting keen...based on everything we’ve found so far, of course. More than likely, he knows the punishment will be harsh.”

Reeve heaved a heavy sigh as he sat back in his chair. He tapped his finger on the tabletop. “I cannot believe this. I tried, Reiben. I really tried--you know that. The one job I had above all else was to make sure this company stayed on the right track, and I failed at it.”

“You have not failed,” Vincent assured him. “The opposite, in fact. The Shinra I once knew no longer exists thanks to you.”

“I appreciate that, Vincent. Your words are very kind.” Reeve sat forward and heaved a heavy sigh. He set his elbows on the table now, laced his fingers together. “Still, that this could get so out of my control makes me sick. I can only hope Zack is alright and that Holt did more good than harm.”

“According to the notes we found in his case file, it appears as though Holt was attempting to mimic what Hojo attempted to do with Project S. As we all know, that was considered Hojo’s success story. Unlike his predecessors, Sephiroth was perfect in every way.” Reiben glanced up at them, looking from Cid, to Vincent, to Reeve. “You all know the rest.”

“What you’re meaning to say is Holt injected Zack with Jenova cells. Didn’t Cloud get those, too?” Cid asked.

Reiben shook his head, pushed his laptop aside. “Yes, but this isn’t exactly like that. What Hojo did was carry out a process to differentiate the Jenova cells any SOLDIER would have received during training. Some of the scientists we questioned recalled working during Hojo’s tenure here, and several of them claim his end goal was to mutate the gene. Now, I’m no scientist, but from what I was told it sounds like his repeated attempts failed and Hojo was never able to achieve whatever it was he intended. Maybe when Holt found the research, he thought could do it better. It makes the most sense since he had a subject who had already been treated with Jenova cells. What’s more is that Holt knew Zack’s body could handle the injections. He was already given the mutated cells once before. It turns out that nothing of note happened. The cells mutated back to plain Jenova cells and didn’t hold the structure of the genetically mutated gene.”

“Maybe what Holt did was simply because he could,” Reeve suggested. “He had access to the research. He experimented and it failed. But would he give up that easily?”

“If he is anything like Hojo,” Vincent said, “he is out there somewhere with the intention of making it work. That man was insane...to the point that it cost him his life, and I would not put it past Holt to do the same.”

Reeve nodded. “I recall. I’m simply glad I was not there to assist in ending Hojo’s life.”

“Aside from all that,” Reibein continued, “the research won’t get us far in finding him. The neighbors we spoke to said they recall his wife leaving the home first. She typically left at around 7:00 am for work and that had not changed the last day they saw her. It was the next work day that her neighbor said she couldn’t recall having seen her leave. And then the next. She mentions she did see Holt the day after, but can’t recall anything else other than it didn’t seem odd at the time.”

Reeve frowned. He put his hand up and gently tapped his chin. “Even if he did take his vehicle, it could be abandoned anywhere.”

“We’re looking into that,” Reiben said.

Everyone sat in silence around the table. It stretched to an almost uncomfortable length as they racked their brains attempting to make sense of the matter, but nothing made sense at all. How could one find a man so easily who knew he was being hunted? That would make things so much more difficult.

Reeve rocked back and forth in his chair. When he was tired of that, he bounced his leg up and down. Reiben took note of the nervous energy and asked to speak with him in private. Cid and Vincent understood, said they’d be nearby, and slipped out of the conference room where they had convened for the meeting. Only when the door shut behind them did Reiben stand from his chair and sit down on the table in front of Reeve.

“You are not at fault for any of this,” Reibein said. He locked eyes with Reeve who stared up at him. “Everything that’s happened so far, all of it was put into motion before we even had a clue what was going on, before we knew what was going to happen. You’re doing the best you can now with what you have and that’s all anyone can ask for.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “What you should focus on is the good that’s come out of this. Zack seems to be healthy and regaining his strength by the day. Cloud has his friend back. Those are all things you helped facilitate.”

Reeve glanced down, away from Reiben’s gaze. He knew the man had a point. With the bad had come some good, and yet he still struggled to shed the feeling of guilt. “I know,” he said softly. “You aren’t wrong.”

“You know I’m not.” Reiben gave Reeve a smile, urging the man to do the same. 

He couldn’t help himself. A slight smirk pulled at the corner of Reeve’s lips, but it was soon lost as he sat forward and stood from the chair. He kept his voice down as he spoke. “I trust you, Reiben. I trust you as much as those two out there, and I know you would not lie to me. Having someone like you beside me through this has made tolerating this job much easier. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Reibein slipped off the desk and tugged at his blazer. “Your appreciation is more than enough.” He stroked the palm of his hand over the lapels, smoothing them down. “But I do not think we can do these things on our own.”

“What do you mean?” Reeve glanced at Reiben, curious now.

“Please don’t get upset, but I have requested the assistance of Rufus and his Turks. He said he would work with us if only to get his research back, so why not take the offer?.”

Reeve’s brow furrowed again. His lips pursed into a thin line. He let out yet another heavy sigh, one of many, and nodded, “I had a feeling you would do that.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

Reeve shook his head. “I would have relented myself at some point. It’s not as though we haven’t worked together in the past before.”

“Whatever it is he does for us, as long as he helps in whatever way he can, that’s all that I care about,” Reiben said.

“You’re right.” Reeve glanced at the door knowing Cid and Vincent were waiting for him. He had to put on an air of confidence, especially in the face of Rufus. It came so naturally to the man, after all. He opened his mouth again to say something when the door opened and a familiar redhead waltzed inside. Rude followed closely behind. “Reno?”

The lithe man had his hands shoved in his pockets. His hair had grown a bit longer, but Reno still kept it in its tail. Rude looked exactly the same, hadn’t changed a bit aside from what looked like a new suit Reeve had never seen him wear before. 

“Yo,” Reno said. “Hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

“You are.” Reiben turned to face them, “but that doesn’t matter. Have you discovered anything new?”

“Yeah.” Reno smirked, laughed. He jerked his head in the direction of Midgar’s ruins. “Turns out the night we smoked those monsters that we also decimated someone’s car.” Rude pulled photos out of a file he had tucked under his arm and tossed them on the table. Both Reiben and Reeve stared down at the images of a crispy vehicle shell. “Wouldn’t have known who it belonged to if it weren’t for the VIN. It managed to survive, somehow.”

“The vehicle is registered under Nicholas Holt,” Rude explained. “We didn’t find a body, though. Any signs of tracks were blown away by the missile fire.”

“Why would he go to the ruins?” Reeve asked, looking to Reiben first before turning his gaze to the Turks.

Reno shrugged. “Beats me. He wasn’t anywhere nearby. And there ain’t anything else out there, so to me it makes the most sense for him to have gone exploring.”

“Do you think he’s followed the monsters inside?” It sounded plausible at this point, but all Reeve could do was speculate.

“We’re reviewing satellite footage,” Rude said. “We expect it to take some time. Probably won’t get confirmation on it for a few days. There is a lot of footage to rummage through.”

Reeve waved a dismissive hand. That didn’t matter to him. “Whatever it takes, just do it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Reno said. He grabbed one of the photos from the desk while Rude slipped the rest back into the folder. “If you ask me, I think he’s inside the underground tunnels. The only way we’re going to confirm that is going down there.”

“I refuse,” Reeve balked. “It’s too dangerous.”

Reno snorted, shrugged. He handed the last photo to Rude who slipped it away for safekeeping. “Suit yourself.  _ I,  _ personally, won’t go down there, but I bet that’s where you’ll find your man.” He shoved his hands back into his pockets and moved to the door, stopping before he stepped outside. “I think it’d be smart of you to start making preparations.” Reno reached for the doorknob, hesitated, and glanced over his shoulder. “We’ll be in touch.” The two men left the conference room as quickly as they arrived, leaving Reeve and Reiben to wonder what all the cryptic talk was about.

\--

Zack threw his bag down on the floor next to the bed. They had been in Gongaga for a full week spending time with his parents, catching up, and making plans for the future. They even talked about leaving the village to move to Edge, both wanting to be closer to him now that he had returned, but Zack insisted they take time to consider the idea. He had only just gotten back into the swing of things himself, not to mention the potential threat those creatures caused. Convincing them he wasn’t going anywhere was a different matter. By the time he and Cloud said their goodbyes, his parents insisted on looking for homes immediately in spite of all that. They wanted to be closer and there was nothing anyone could say to change their minds.

“I am  _ beat _ ,” Zack groaned. He fell dramatically onto the mattress as Cloud watched from the doorway. Four days' travel back from Gongaga on limited sleep drained the life out of them.

Cloud crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, watching as Zack rolled onto his back. “Do you want me to go?” he asked. “You’ve been with me this whole time. I’m sure you’re tired and want some peace and quiet.”

Zack grunted as he sat upright. He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated for a moment. “Honestly? No, I don’t want you to go.” Their eyes met. Cloud tried to hide his excitement knowing Zack wanted him to stay. The last thing he wanted was for Zack to think he was desperate to be near him all hours of the day, every day. “But I understand if you need some time to decompress. This whole trip was a lot.”

Cloud winced at that. He pushed away from the door and sat beside Zack on the edge of the bed. It’s springs squeaked softly under his weight. “I feel kind of stupid saying this, but I had fun with you and your parents.”

“Why feel stupid about that?”

Cloud shrugged. “I guess it sounds kind of pathetic, wanting to stick around. The more I think about it, though, the sillier that sounds. Why should someone feel bad for wanting to spend time with someone they thought they lost forever?”

They didn’t look one another in the eyes. Rather, both men stared off to the floor or at each other’s boots. He played the kiss Zack had given him that first night in Gongaga in his mind on repeat. Could still feel the other’s warm mouth against his own, taste the mintiness of his toothpaste. In truth, Cloud wanted to feel that again, and yet the thought of asking felt dangerous.

Now they looked at one another when Zack spoke. “Can I ask you something?” 

He could feel Zack’s eyes boring a hole straight through him. Cloud felt his face flush red, burn hot in his cheeks and spread down his neck and shoulders. He swallowed a thick lump down his throat and nodded. 

“When I kissed you that night, after we saw my parents…” The time it took for Zack to think of what he wanted to say next felt like an eternity. Cloud’s stomach flopped around like a fish struggling to dive back into the water. “Did you like it?”

How could he answer that?  _ Yes, Zack, I love that you kissed me. Please, do it again. It felt really good. I haven’t felt this way since I used to masturbate to the idea of you throwing me down and fucking my brains out. You know, back when I was an MP under your tutelage. _ Cloud winced at the thought. Zack would surely hate him if he told him that. Wouldn’t he?

He nervously cleared his throat and thought of a response, but nothing felt as right as saying, “Yes.” Before he even realized what he had said, Cloud stared at Zack with wide eyes. It seemed his mouth had run ahead of his brain.

Zack heaved a heavy sigh. His body relaxed and he nodded. “I was afraid I had done something to piss you off, but you didn’t say anything about it. You just...stayed by me while I spent time with my parents. I thought maybe you were waiting to tell me off when we got back. Guess that’s not the case.”

Now his entire body was on fire. He could feel the blood pumping from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. “Zack, I love you,” Cloud confessed. He couldn’t keep it in anymore. Not after what had happened. Not after how he had lost him out there on that muddy cliff. He wouldn’t risk keeping his feelings a secret now that they had been given a second chance. “As a friend, as a brother…maybe as something more. I don’t know.” He clasped his hands together and wrung them nervously. “You were always there for me. You even dragged me around for a year while I was completely out of it. I don’t really remember much, just bits and pieces, but I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy or fun. I admired you so much before everything went to shit. You were the only person I could ever be open with. You were the only person I could really be myself with.”

Zack said nothing, just listened. 

“I might have joined Shinra to become like Sephiroth, to protect my friends and family, but I met someone better than him,” Cloud said. “I can’t keep that to myself anymore. Not now. Not that I have you back.” He stared at Zack, searching his eyes for an answer. What was going through that head of his? His own bright blue eyes stared right back, but Cloud couldn’t imagine what Zack was thinking. 

Before he could comprehend what was happening, Zack lunged at him, crushed their lips together. A whimper escaped Cloud’s throat, more out of surprise than terror. This was what he had wanted, right? For Zack’s lips to press against his again. Maybe he had to tell himself he hadn’t expected it so soon. Either way, his eyelids slid slowly shut, and he leaned into the gesture, pressed his palm against Zack’s chest. He could feel how hard the man’s heart hammered in his breast, and it was reassuring to know he wasn’t the only one.

Zack reached for Cloud’s cheek and stroked it with his thumb. The longer they kissed, the deeper it grew into something more fervent, hungrier. The way Zack’s tongue slid across his lips sent shivers up and down Cloud’s body, in his arms and through his spine, into his gut, down into his groin. He leaned into the kiss as if to tell Zack to keep going.

Somehow, in the mix of things, Cloud ended on his back with Zack pressed atop him. They pulled apart for a moment to stare into one another’s eyes. Stare and catch their breaths.

“Is this okay?” Zack asked, panting softly.

Cloud licked his lips and swallowed. “I, uh...” He cleared a frog from his throat, stammered over his words. It felt like he was babbling. He must have been. The feel of Zack’s hand slipping under his shirt, over his warm skin knocked him from his daze, made him tremble.

Zack couldn’t help but smirk. “I don’t want to keep going if you’re not comfortable.”

“No, I-I’m comfortable.” Cloud shifted under Zack’s weight, trying to turn his hips a little so the man wouldn’t feel his nervous excitement. 

Before Cloud could say anything more, Zack kissed him again and again. They both lost themselves in the feel and the taste of one another. Hands pushed up and under shirts, under the waist of their pants where they reached and squeezed, dug fingernails into soft skin. Nevermind his own arousal. Cloud felt Zack’s press against his thigh when he realized he had been lifting it in between the man’s legs, rubbing and teasing him.

Cloud pulled at Zack’s shirt, lifted his leg to relieve some pressure from his erection pressed against the fabric of his pants. “Zack,” he whispered and tilted his head to the side so that Zack could kiss his neck a little easier.

“Mmm?” Zack hummed as he left a trail of dampness down Cloud’s throat.

“Something’s...vibrating.”

Zack slowly lifted his head and stared down at Cloud, confused. “Vibrating?”

Once he got his hand in his pocket, Cloud fished his cell phone out. The screen lit up with Reeve’s name and the buzzing continued. “Shit,” he spat softly.

“Don’t answer,” Zack whispered, leaning in to kiss Cloud’s shoulder.

Cloud considered the thought. Part of him didn’t want to answer either, but it wasn’t like Reeve to just call and chat. He let out a groan so soft it came out as more of a huff of air. “I have to.”

Zack relented and rolled onto his side.

“Hello?” Cloud answered once he composed himself enough so as not to sound like he had been in the middle of necking.

“Cloud, is this a good time?” Reeve asked. “You sound like you were sleeping.”

“N-no...no, it’s not a bad time. I was just resting my eyes,” Cloud said, and he sat upright. 

“Tifa told me you just got back from Gongaga. How was it?” 

“It was good.” Cloud pulled his shirt down. Zack had pushed it up practically almost over one arm. “Things were good. I’m sorry, I would have called sooner, but I only just got in. How have things been here?”

“Don’t be sorry. I know you must be tired, so I’ll make this quick. I’d like to speak with you in person soon. Tomorrow, maybe? Things are alright for now, but some decisions need to be made, and I’d appreciate your input.” Reeve paused, waiting for Cloud to say something and when he didn’t he continued. “Zack can come along. This concerns him, too.”

Cloud glanced at Zack, who stared right back at him, lips glistening still from their kissing. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Right, then. I’ll let you go for now. Try to get some rest and we’ll see one another tomorrow. I’ll be in my office all day, so whenever you have a chance to swing by, that’s where you can find me.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cloud said, and he waited for Reeve to end the call before closing his phone. He set it aside and dropped back against the pillows, one arm draped over his forehead.

“What did he want?” Zack asked. He slipped his hand over Cloud’s belly, stroked it slowly.

“He wasn’t clear, but he said things are okay for now. Just that it concerns you, too.”

“Me?”

“Reeve doesn’t hide his emotions very well,” Cloud explained. “He didn’t sound upset, so things must be under control.”

“I see.” Zack let his hand trail down lower, over Cloud’s hip bone where it jutted out from under his skin. Cloud snatched his hand and stilled it, stared at Zack. “I guess if it’s not important right now we can just not think about it.”

Cloud let go of Zack’s hand and turned onto his side. He slipped his own hand up the length of Zack’s arm, up to his bicep where he gave it a gentle squeeze. “Do you really want this?” Cloud asked. “I mean...everything’s been a blur. I know it’s been hard to accept, but I don’t want you to feel like you need to placate me just because I was being honest.” He knew Zack had loved Aerith, still loved her. That wasn’t something Cloud took lightly. It left a hole in his chest knowing she wasn’t around any longer, but he couldn’t shake the feeling Zack might just be finding comfort wherever it came easiest.

Zack rested his hand on Cloud’s hip, considering his words. “I do,” he said, and he met Cloud’s gaze. “In a lot of ways, you saved me, too. I can’t thank you enough for that.” Zack stroked Cloud’s hip with his thumb. He saw the way the man’s face flushed with color, the way Zack shrugged his shoulder. “And I guess I thought you were pretty cute when we first met.”

Cloud spluttered with laughter, not so vociferous that it came off mockingly, but somewhere in between humor and flattery.

“Why are you laughing? I’m being honest,” Zack whined. He smiled at the sight of Cloud’s lips turning upward, but the blonde leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Zack’s chest. When Cloud caught his breath, he looked up at Zack, leaned into the hand that stroked his cheek. “Really,” he said, voice softer now, lower. “I want this.”

Cloud reached up, put his hand over Zack’s and turned his head. He kissed his palm, kissed Zack’s wrist. His heart pounded in his chest, almost as if he was a teenager again and falling in love for the first time. “Then you can have it,” he told him.


	12. Chapter 12

“What the hell are _they_ doing here?” Zack spat toward Reno and Rude. The former smirked, but Rude kept a cool air of indifference about him, sitting there behind his poker face and sunglasses. Zack hadn’t seen them in years and Cloud imagined this was not the most ideal way to meet again. He kept his mouth shut, however, not wanting to get in the middle.

“They’re helping us,” Reeve explained in a calmed tone. “Now, I understand your relationship with the Turks was strained, but I would appreciate it if we could all behave like adults while we’re in this meeting.” He turned his gaze to Reno who shrugged.

“No problem here,” the redhead said, lifting his hands to feign surrender. 

Zack pursed his lips. His brow furrowed, nostrils flared as his breathing came harder. “You and your little posse made my life a living hell, made _Cloud’s_ life a living hell. I don’t think it’s wise to be asking them for help,” he said to Reeve. Cloud slipped his hand onto Zack’s knee to tell him he didn’t need to do this and they shared a brief look before Reno opened his mouth again.

Reno uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I thought we could let bygones be bygones, but it sounds like you’re still stuck in the past. Makes sense, considering.”

“Yeah, considering the fact you tried to kill us. You’re lucky I don’t knock your head clear off your neck,” Zack practically growled. "It's the least I can do to repay you for everything you've done."

“Hey, we were just following orders.”

“And that’s all you’re good fo--”

“Alright!” Reeve said, raising his voice. Both Zack and Reno hushed, looked to him. “Alright.” He cleared the frog from his throat and sat down, motioning for them to do the same. Cloud and Zack took their seats next to Cid and Vincent while Reiben watched from where he sat beside Reeve. “This will not work if we’re at each other’s throats,” he continued, sitting down having stood when the two entered the room. “So before we erupt into angry outbursts again, let’s get down to business.” Reeve nodded to Reiben once everyone settled, and the suited man took over the conversation.

“I feel I owe you an explanation why they are here,” Reiben told Zack. “We recently discovered that the professor assigned to your case had been an assistant of Hojo’s some time ago, even before you became a SOLDIER. As he rose in ranks within the research department, and as everything unfolded after what happened with Sephiroth, he separated himself from his mentor and kept his head down. What we’ve discovered recently is that Holt has tried to recreate and modify some of Hojo’s research...using you as a test subject.”

Zack’s irritation had not calmed after hearing this. He turned it to Reiben and then Reeve. “So you mean to tell me that, again, Shinra failed to protect the people who dedicated their lives to serving the company? You say you tried to protect me, but how the hell do you know he didn’t do something weird, or...manipulate my DNA so that something might activate later once he has a use for me.”

Reeve fielded that question. “You know we’re not capable of that technology, Zack, but I am not blaming you for feeling the way you do. I have had doctors conduct tests using samples of your DNA to ensure that was not the case. He _did_ experiment on you, but it was nothing you haven’t been exposed to before.”

“What, then?” Zack snapped. “What exactly did he do to me?”

Reeve shifted nervously in his seat. “It appears the particular research Genesis wanted from you...from those experimented on with manipulated Jenova cells, or rather what he believed to have been perfected genes incapable of degradation. We think Holt is trying to perfect what Hojo failed at. There is no evidence he was successful, though, and no evidence he did anything else to manipulate your DNA. The cells reverted to their original structure and failed, just like they did for Hojo.”

Zack wasn’t placated to hear it. He sat back in his chair, folded his arms over his chest. “And how do you know that? How can you sit there and say he didn’t do something you just don’t have the knowledge of yet?”

Reeve and Reiben shared a look. “W-well, we cannot be certain this is the case,” Reiben said. “All we can tell is the research he used was flawed from the get-go and more than likely still mimics what Hojo tried to do years ago. The science isn’t perfect, not in the least, and it will take some time—years even—for it to become so. Perhaps even longer now that he no longer has the support of the company. It's very possible he was waiting until you came out of your coma to ramp up testing.”

Cloud turned his gaze to Zack, could see he was unsatisfied with the explanation, but he said nothing. He had moved his hand from the other's knee so as not to draw too much attention to them. Cloud listened as Reeve continued.

“This is where Rude and Reno come into the picture,” Reeve said, glancing at the two men who remained silent this time. “Rufus wishes to retrieve his stolen research and lock it away so that no one may access it again. Naturally, he called upon the Turks to help assist with the task, and they have tracked Holt down to the Midgar ruins. It appears as though he is in there somewhere, but the only way to confirm that is to go down into the underground tunnels.”

“There are a few entrances,” Reiben explained, “but they were buried under rubble. Entry will be difficult.”

“So what’s the plan now?” Cloud asked. “How do we get inside?”

Reeve uncrossed his legs under the table. The move made his chair squeak. “The Turks have offered to airlift you into the ruins. We’ve already pinpointed the best route and so they will take everyone as far as they can without having to touch down.”

Cloud glanced at Reno but directed his question to Reeve. “I thought you said entry would be difficult.”

Reeve nodded. “It will be…”

“But the only way anyone’s getting down there is if we blast it open.” Reno shrugged. “Makes sense to utilize the firepower we have if easy is what you’re lookin’ for. One missile to the shallowest point should blow open a hole big enough to get down there.”

That seemed a reasonable idea, aside from the fact that the rubble could become unstable and might trap them underground. They could worry about that later, though.

“Cid and Vincent have volunteered to go with you. I’ve also gathered a team of SOLDIERS to accompany the mission,” Reeve said. 

Cloud stared at the two of them, confused. “I thought you said you didn’t want anyone going underground. You told me you wouldn’t have it, so why is it different now?”

“Back then, yes, but the situation has changed after everything we've discovered.” Reeve stood from his chair and paced the room. “In any other scenario, I would keep the same mind. Now I know we cannot do that. We have to find Holt and bring him in for questioning. It’s become clear to me he’s been drawn to whatever it is those monsters are trying to get at. Perhaps he has answers or even a solution.”

Silence blanketed the room. No one said a thing for a long while until Zack spoke. “I’ll go, too.”

Cloud snapped his gaze to the man, didn't need time to think of a response. It just fell from his mouth. “Like hell you will,” he said.

“Why not?” Zack asked, meeting Cloud’s sharp blue eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of defending myself.”

Cloud shook his head. “You’re not going down there and that’s the end of it.”

“I’m inclined to agree with Cloud on this one,” Reeve said. “I think it would be unwise to allow you to accompany them, after everything that’s happened. If Holt were to get his hands on you again, I cannot imagine what he might try to do.”

“So you’ll let Cloud and the rest of them go?” Zack mused. “What’s the difference between me and someone who went through the same experiments? Why is Cloud any different?”

Cloud stood from the table and said in a firm but grave tone, “Can I talk to you outside?” He waited patiently for Zack to consider the request and followed him into the hallway once the man stood from his chair. It was quiet on that particular floor of conference rooms. Not many people moved about, which gave them enough privacy to carry on a conversation. Still, they stood close, inches away from each other, and spoke in hushed tones. “You’re not going down there, Zack. I can’t let you.”

“Why not?” Zack shifted his weight from one leg to the other and crossed his arms over his chest. “I want to help catch this son of a bitch. It’s the least I can do.”

“You don’t need to do anything. What you _need_ to do is stay here. Stay with Tifa and the kids… If you need to get out of the city, in case something happens, you can do it easily without being stuck in those tunnels. It’s a maze, and I can only imagine what’s survived down there.”

Zack let out a heavy sigh through his nose. “I know you’re worried about me, but I can’t just let you go down there yourself. I told you I’d protect you and I wasn’t able to do that.”

“It won’t be just me who goes down there. Reeve wouldn’t allow it without at least a team of SOLDIERS. And what are you talking about...not protecting me? You absolutely did that. I got to Midgar because of you. You shouldn’t feel guilty about what happened out there in the desert.” Cloud hesitated, thinking. He pursed his lips, glanced down at Zack’s chest and watched as it rose and fell with each breath. He had to shake the image of it riddled with blood and bullet wounds out of his head. “Let me do this for you now. Let me be the one to protect you.”

His brow furrowed. Zack closed his eyes, focused on his breathing. “You’ll have to forgive me. It feels a little weird hearing this come from you.”

When he realized Zack meant their roles had reversed, Cloud let out a sigh. “I can only imagine what it’s like hearing it from someone like me.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant,” Cloud said with a nod, only slightly offended. It was the truth, though. He had been nothing but a pathetic excuse for a recruit and nothing close to SOLDIER material when they first met.

He turned toward the door, but Zack caught his arm, pulled him back. “Do you really?” When Cloud didn’t respond, Zack continued. “I lost so much of my life because of what Shinra did to me...to you. I missed out on being able to join you guys to take down Sephiroth. I missed out on you doing it _again._ ” Zack huffed out a chuckle, but it was more out of disbelief than anything else. “I would give anything to go back in time and be more vigilant or get us off the continent sooner rather than later, but I didn’t and I can’t take that back,” he spoke softly, firmly. Their eyes met again and Cloud held his gaze. “I get where you’re coming from. I would say the same if I were in your shoes.” His lips pressed into a thin line. Zack struggled with the idea of letting others take on what he thought should be his duty, but there would be no convincing Cloud otherwise. “I won’t go down there, so don’t worry about me asking again. But you have to promise you'll come back safe. Okay?”

Cloud swallowed a thick lump. The knob in his throat quickly moved down and back into place. He nodded and shifted his gaze upward. “I will.” He stared into Zack’s eyes. The swelling urge to kiss him tingled in his gut, fluttered up into his chest. The tip of his tongue darted out, quickly wet his lips. “We should go back inside,” he said, and he gently pulled his arm out of Zack’s grasp. They slipped into the room and took their seats. Reeve spoke once they settled.

“Can I assume you two have come to an agreement?” Reeve asked.

“I’m going to stay in the city,” Zack replied, leaving it at that. It didn’t matter how they had come to that conclusion, just that they had.

Reeve seemed satisfied with the answer. “So be it.” The room fell silent. No one uttered a word. No one made a noise. Not for what felt like forever until Reeve spoke up. “We’ll go through details later, but, honestly, I think this might be something we improvise along the way. I trust you’ll be successful, even so.”

“When do you plan on executing this mission?” Cloud asked.

Reeve let out a heavy sigh. “Soon,” he said. “Tomorrow, at the latest. I understand you need rest and preparation, but it is pertinent we stop him at all costs...if that is where he’s gone. For now, you should all take time to relax before anything more happens. I’ll be in contact with each one of you and we can go from there.”

No one had questions. Everything sounded straightforward. What more preparation could they do without being down in the tunnels, anyway? If Cloud had his way, he would have gone down there days ago. Now that he had the chance to stop this mess, he wouldn’t risk losing it.

\--

“You guys are going down there tomorrow?” Tifa asked, staring wide-eyed at Cloud and then to Zack. The fear in her eyes glimmered in the soft lighting of the main room in the bar.

“Not me. Cloud overruled the decision,” Zack said. “I’m just following orders.”

“Who else is going with you? When exactly do you plan on leaving?” she wondered. Tifa shifted in her seat where they had parked themselves at the table. The kids were upstairs playing in their room at the behest of Barret.

“Cid, Vincent, the Turks, and a group of SOLDIERS. I don’t have the exact details,” Cloud explained, “but I’m sure Reeve will have men posted on the outskirts to act as clean up in case any monsters escape. Or if...we need medical assistance.”

Tifa closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, quite upset knowing the risks.

“I would offer to go,” Barret said, “but I can’t do that to Marlene anymore. We almost didn’ come back from Sephiroth. She can’t grow up without _another_ daddy gone.”

Cloud nodded, assuming that would be the case. “Stay here with them. I’m sure the kids will be happy about that.”

“Why don’t I go with you instead?” Tifa said. “I’ve been down there before and you know I’m capable of taking care of myself. I wouldn’t be alone, either. I’d be with you guys--”

“No,” Cloud said firmly, shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not?” Tifa asked, trying not to raise her voice, but she didn't try to hide the irritation in her voice. “This isn’t about me not being capable, so what is it?”

“You’re right, it’s not. It’s about me not wanting you going down there risking your life if you don’t need to.” Cloud stood from the seat and moved for the door to the back porch, needing to get some air before he lost his cool. 

Tifa followed a moment later and shut the door softly behind her. “I want to go, but I know you won’t let that happen,” she said, hands clasped behind her back. “I just wish you wouldn’t try to take this on all by yourself.”

Cloud turned to face her, leaned against the railing. “I won’t be alone,” he said. “Cid and Vincent decided before I even knew what was going on that they would be the ones to go. Aside from them, I’ll have a team of SOLDIERS.”

“This shouldn’t be your fight, is what I mean. If anything, you should be staying behind. This is getting personal now that we know what Holt's done to Zack.”

“You aren't wrong, but I’m just going down there to figure out why those monsters are doing what they’re doing, and maybe we’ll run across Professor Holt while we’re down there.”

“You don’t think this is an attempt to get revenge for what happened to Zack?” Tifa continued before he could speak up. “I mean, you could try to take it out on Rufus and the Turks, but knowing your relationship with them now doesn’t make sense. Maybe Professor Holt is a reasonable scapegoat.”

“No,” Cloud said. “The people who ruined Zack’s life also made mine a living hell. If I wanted to pay revenge, I would have done it a long time ago.”

Tifa wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “I know. I didn’t mean to insinuate that’s why you’re going down there.” She closed her eyes, tried to gather her thoughts, and opened her eyes again. “It’s like it’s never ending, you know? One minute things are fine, we don’t have to worry about anything but day-to-day business, and out of the blue something crazy happens. You always end up being the one who gets involved. You never just stop.”

Cloud stepped forward, put his hands on her biceps. “I’ll be okay, Tifa. We’ll take care of this.”

She leaned into his touch like she wanted more of it and eventually closed the distance between them. Tifa wrapped her arms around Cloud’s waist, pressed the side of her head against his chest, and listened to his steady breathing. The pace of his heartbeat comforted her judging by the way she relaxed against him. He could tell she missed the way they used to be intimate with one another. It affected him, too. Laying in bed together, feeling her fingers comb through his hair, the touch of them gently dragging over his skin. He missed her touch and her scent and yet he knew he couldn’t have it. Cloud couldn’t give his all and she deserved better than that. For now, they could embrace and take comfort in one another’s presence.

“Please be safe,” Tifa whispered. He didn’t have to tell her he would. She knew that already.

Cloud stroked his hand up and down her back a little longer and then pulled away from the embrace entirely. “I should take Zack back to his apartment.”

The lines on her face pulled into disappointment again, sadness, but Tifa nodded anyway. “Okay,” was about all she could manage before telling him to say goodbye to the kids first. Marlene and Denzel would want to know where Cloud was going. They would want to hear it from the source that he would be back soon and Cloud obliged. He set aside a few minutes to explain the state of things in ways their young minds would understand and avoided anything that might make them worry for their own safety. Both children, wise beyond their years, understood why he needed to say goodbye to them for now. It pained them and yet they shared hugs and even a kiss on the cheek without too much fuss.

Cloud made his way back downstairs again, headed straight for Zack. “We should go.” He glanced at Tifa, who held his gaze momentarily. Her eyes flicked to the cup she was drying and her hand started moving again. 

Zack made no argument. Their visit to the Seventh Heaven had taken less time than the meeting with Reeve, but Cloud was the one who insisted on making it short. He wanted to avoid having to linger. It would do no good to give way to more time to reconsider what was about to happen. Reeve had promised to give them all at least a few hours to prepare, which would leave Cloud with very little time lest he drag his heels.

The roar of Fenrir’s engine rumbled deeply down the street, off the buildings. Cloud climbed on first and scooted forward, giving Zack room to slide on behind him. Once settled, Zack leaned his chin forward, resting it on Cloud’s shoulder and said, “I don’t want to go home.”

Cloud glanced over his shoulder at Zack. He took a moment to consider the statement, but asked for clarification anyway for his own peace of mind. “Where should I take you?”

“I’d like to stay with you, if that’s okay.” Zack leaned his chin against the blonde’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist. 

To hear that sent a chill up his spine. Cloud turned his gaze away to hide any nerves or excitement. “It’s okay,” he said, and he revved the engine before taking off, Zack’s grip tightening as they picked up speed.

\--

After a small dinner and long shower, Cloud joined Zack in the living room where he sat surfing through the television channels that cable offered. Zack shifted to make room, but they ended up leaning into one another anyway, given the small size of the two-seater couch. 

“Feel better?” Zack asked. He tossed the remote aside and gently pat Cloud’s leg.

“Not sure how I’m supposed to feel knowing I’m going back inside those tunnels,” Cloud replied. He hesitated, remembering what they had seen down there the first time, and it turned his guts. “The creatures they left down there after the plate dropped…”

“I’ve heard rumors,” Zack said with a nod, “about the kinds of things Hojo and his researchers did. I can only imagine what it’s like down there, if anything’s survived.” 

“The last thing I want to do is linger and find out. We’ll find Holt and take care of him whatever way we need to. I know Reeve probably wants me to bring him back for questioning, but to be honest, I don’t know if that’s smart.” Cloud glanced down at his hands in his lap. He wrung them together, nervous even saying something so serious.

Zack looked at Cloud and smirked. “I won’t say anything if you don’t.”

Cloud stared into Zack’s eyes. He was happy to see that smile of his, but somehow it didn’t calm his nerves entirely. “You won’t be there,” he reminded him.

Zack scoffed and tucked his hands behind his head. “Right, well...I doubt anyone would say otherwise.”

“You know I’m gonna do what I need to to take care of him,” Cloud said, shifting his body a little toward Zack. He didn’t want to have to spell it out, but he wanted to make clear his intentions. “Whatever it is we all decide, it will be for the best.”

“I know you will.” Zack lowered his hands. “It’s probably best I don’t go down there, anyway. Even I don’t know what I’d do if I got my hands on him. Probably stuff that would scare even me.”

Cloud stood from the couch and faced Zack. He offered his hand but Zack stared at it, confused for a moment, before taking and being hoisted up. Cloud grabbed the remote, switched the television off, and tossed it back onto the cushions. They made their way into the bedroom where Cloud immediately kissed the taller man. He had to stand up a little higher to reach them, having taken the other off guard, but Zack returned the gesture with fervency once his initial shock passed.

Hands moved around waists, pulled bodies pressed flush against each other. Their breaths came out hotter and faster with each passing second, and soon both men ended on the bed. Zack pressed his weight down. When he needed to catch his breath, he pulled back a bit and stared down at Cloud’s slightly parted lips, still slick and glistening with saliva. Neither one said anything for a moment, not until the blonde spoke up.

“I don’t want to think about anything else right now,” Cloud said, panting softly. “I’m so tired of it. I’m so tired.”

Zack lifted his hand, caressed his fingers down Cloud’s cheek. His thumb slid over those lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring this up.”

Cloud shook his head. “I know you didn’t.” He slipped his hand up and under the man’s shirt, certain he had felt a slight tremble under his palm. They kissed again, this time deeper and longer as the seconds ticked by. This time Cloud pulled his lips away to whisper, “Touch me.” And Zack obliged.

He was on his knees before Cloud knew it. Zack pulled his sweats down, exposing the fact that he had no underwear on, and his eyes trailed down to the other’s half-hard length. It twitched as if on cue the moment it became the focus.

“Don’t just stare at it.” Cloud’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Zack smirked crookedly. “Sorry.” He sank down, left a trail of wet kisses on the path to taking the blonde’s length into his mouth. Cloud’s head shot up from the pillow. He stared down at the sight, watching Zack’s head bob up and down, and his own head swam. It dropped back against the pillow with a soft thud.

The feel of Zack’s hands moving up and down his thighs lifted Cloud’s hips off the mattress. He hadn’t been touched like that in...well, he couldn’t quite remember the last time he had been touched like that. With Tifa things had been gentle, loving. They had been good. Very good. But it was what lurked inside his head that stopped him from being able to continue down that path. As much as he loved her, as much as their relationship meant everything to him, it was different with Zack and Cloud couldn’t quite find the words to explain it. Not now. Not with his cock inside of Zack’s warm, wet mouth. He didn’t want to think of anything other than the feel of that tongue swirling around the tip. Didn’t want to think of anything more than the way Zack’s hair, which had grown long, brushed over his skin, tickled his thighs.

Cloud whispered something inaudible even to himself, but Zack’s efforts doubled now. His hand moved up and down, mouth focused at the tip. “Zack,” Cloud whispered. He moaned his name again, voice wavering. “ _Zack._ ”

He stopped. Lifted his head and stared at Cloud. “Everything okay up there?”

“I want to touch you,” Cloud said, nodding. He was certain he could feel Zack’s arousal against his leg, but in that position it was hard to tell.

“You don’t want me to keep--?”

Cloud shook his head, reached down to urge Zack to come back up to his level. He crawled and shifted onto his side, turned so they could face one another. Cloud wasted no time pressing his hand against Zack’s groin. He stroked it, rubbed at the firm bulge inside of the man’s pants and fumbled with the button and zipper so he could get his hand between the fabric.

“Anxious, much?” Zack teased, chuckling softly. He shut his mouth when Cloud crushed their lips together and moved his hips when he felt his pants being tugged down. Zack shifted to make it easier to get them pushed far enough, but picked up where he briefly left off. Both of them pressed together. Hips rocked, hands stroked and gripped wherever they could reach. Their breaths came out in a pant as their mouths pressed into sloppy kisses. Together, they lost themselves in one another for the night. Even the threat of death wouldn't stop them from forgetting for even just a few hours.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I've been pretty invested in AC Valhalla. Damn you, video games.

When Cloud woke the next morning, he roused to the sight of Zack still asleep beside him. The dark-haired man had turned onto his side during the night, had one arm tucked under the pillow while his mouth hung slightly slack, lips parted. His breath came out slowly, at a steady pace, and the arm crooked at his side rose and fell where it rested on his chest. Cloud couldn’t pull his gaze away despite his eyes being blurred with sleep. He allowed himself a few more moments to stare at Zack, gave himself permission to recall what had happened the night before.

They hadn’t gone farther than using their hands, but it was more than enough to satiate the budding urge to show Zack how Cloud felt about him. Not even in his wildest dreams did he think he might let it be known, and it still felt like a dream as he lay watching Zack sleep. Cloud shifted onto his back when his arm tingled, stared at the ceiling, and let out a sigh through his nose. He hadn’t forgotten about what he had to do that day. If it hadn’t been for the late-night distraction, he would have lain in bed all night tossing and turning with thoughts of venturing underground, thoughts of what they would find, what they would have to face.

Cloud reached for his phone and found Reeve had sent him a text message time stamped fifteen minutes prior. “Let me know when you’re awake,” it read. He stared at the message but hesitated to reply. Cloud set his phone aside instead and quietly rolled out of bed, not wanting to disturb the man sleeping next to him. He quietly padded across the room into the bath where he took a brief shower. After washing the most important parts and taking care of other business, Cloud stopped in the doorway when he saw Zack sitting up in bed.

He rubbed his tired eyes. “Hey,” Zack said, mouth open wide mid-yawn, hair tousled, clothes disheveled, having fallen to sleep in what he was wearing the day before.

“Hey.” Cloud moved to the bed and sat down. The sweats he slipped into after the shower clung to his legs, but he hadn’t grabbed a shirt yet. “I was hoping you’d stay asleep.”

“And miss the chance to see you off?” Zack smirked, shook his head. “Nah.”

“Do you want me to take you home?” Cloud asked.

Zack frowned at the suggestion but shrugged. “I can go back if you want me to.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Cloud leaned against the headboard and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t want you to be alone. I’d rather you be with Tifa and everyone else at the bar.” He glanced at his hand when Zack placed it over his own.

“I’ll go if that’s what you want. I know you’re worried about me,” Zack said. “I’ll be fine, though, if that makes you feel better. It’s not like I’m going down there with you guys.”

“I know, I just…” Cloud flipped his hand under Zack’s and laced their fingers together. “I would feel better if you were all in the same place. Tifa can take care of herself, and I know you can, too. Barret is a good asset to have on hand. If anything goes wrong, you guys can work together.”

“Then take me to the bar,” Zack said, sharing a reassuring smile. “We can spend some time together, get to know one another better.”

Cloud nodded. “The kids seemed to like you a lot, anyway.”

“They  _ are _ pretty cute,” Zack agreed. 

The room fell silent when neither one said anything more. What could they say? Surely Zack still wanted nothing more than to accompany them on this mission, wanted to find Holt and show him the same courtesy he had shown him, and Cloud didn’t blame him for it. Except he would be the one delivering judgement this time. If he had the chance, if they found Holt underground, he would carry it out swiftly. Depending on what Reeve wanted to tell him.

“I need to contact Reeve,” Cloud said. “He sent me a message, said he wants me to call him when I’m up.”

Zack pulled his hand away and got out of bed, stretched his arms and his shoulders. “I’ll take a shower then, give you some privacy.”

“I don’t mind,” Cloud said, “but there’s a clean towel on the rack in there.” He watched as Zack made his way into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Only when he heard the water start did Cloud pick up the phone and call Reeve.

“I hope I did not wake you,” Reeve said when he answered the phone.

“I’ve been up for a bit. Should I head out?” Cloud asked.

“Well, I was thinking we could have a conversation before anything happens. Do you have a bit of privacy?”

Cloud stood from the bed and moved into the living room, shutting the bedroom door in his wake. “Zack is still with me, but he’s in the other room.”

“This concerns him somewhat.”

“What do you mean?”

He could hear Reeve shift in his chair. It squealed under his weight as he moved, perhaps leaning forward to prop his elbows onto the desk. “I want you to keep your head about you, Cloud, even though you’ll be leading the charge down there.”

Cloud winced but listened. He knew what Reeve was talking about. The man had every right to feel concerned about the situation, given his relationship with Zack. Still, Cloud said nothing and gave his attention to Reeve.

“I trust you will do the right thing. Whatever it may be.”

Cloud stood at the front window, gazing out from between the blinds at the city that had hardly come to life given the early hour. Had he heard him right? Clarification couldn’t hurt, so he cleared his throat and asked, “What do you mean?”

Reeve cleared his throat. “I mean that I trust your judgement. If you are to come across Holt, if you deem him a threat, then you have my support to handle the matter as you see fit.” He paused to gather his thoughts. “Cloud, if there is one thing I’ve learned working my way up in this company, it’s that there are people who simply cannot be reasoned with. You know that. I know that. Zack certainly knows that. As much as I would like for this to be resolved peacefully and without much conflict, considering how it’s gone so far, we can’t make the assumption that everything will turn out fine. I have a feel this isn’t just going to be a misunderstanding.”

Cloud wanted to snort under his breath but he held that in. “I will do my best,” he said instead.

“I know you will.” The line fell silent for a few long moments before Reeve continued. “Let’s meet at headquarters in an hour. That way we’ll have ample time to go over last minute plans. You’ll be choppered in with the Turks and they will remain outside the ruins for when it’s time to leave. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cloud replied.

“Good. I’ll see you in one hour then,” and just like that the call ended. 

Much of what followed came as a blur to him. Zack had finished showering and the two of them ended up at the bar. For many reasons, though mostly not to disturb anyone at that early hour, Cloud lingered outside on his bike while Zack climbed off and Tifa met them at the bottom of the stairs. She exchanged hugs with Cloud, though brief, ‘just in case’ she had said. It wasn’t like her to assume the worst, but no one knew what they would be walking into down there years after their first experience.

Cloud and Zack exchanged glances just before he left the bar. They had already said their goodbyes if only for just the day. Who knew how long it would take to uncover whatever it was they were searching for. It was just as likely Holt had been eaten by the monsters before he even made it into the underground tunnels.

From the bar, Cloud found himself at headquarters as agreed upon. He sat in Reeve’s office with Cid, Vincent, and both Reno and Rude. The blonde one, Elena, joined with Tseng to get an idea of what to expect, but the latter two would not be joining them in the helicopter ride to the ruins. It was from there on the rooftop where Cloud boarded the chopper. His hair whipped across his face from the force of the blades slicing through the air above them, but it settled once he was inside and sitting on the bench seat beside Vincent.

“Coming up to the Midgar ruins now,” Reno said through his headset. You could hardly hear it over the roar of the powerful machine, over the wind blowing past them, and when Vincent moved from the seat to the door he had slid open. Another chopper followed behind them. It carried the squad of SOLDIERS Reeve insisted on accompanying them, seven men trained to handle most anything.

As promised, Reno hovered over the ruins once in position. He pulled his headset off and turned around in his seat to peer through the doorway. “We’ll lower you down in a second, but you have to know that we already blew an entryway open. The rubble’s settled as far as we can tell, based off the imagery we’ve been using, so you should be able to get in and out no problem.”

No one said a thing. It seemed like a solid plan, like every step they had discussed at headquarters was working perfectly.

“If there’s no questions, we’re gonna take ‘er down!” Reno turned back in his seat and slapped Rude’s arm with the back of his hand. The bald man grunted and moved the chopper down slowly, down far enough that they didn’t have to actually land but so everyone on board could easily climb down the ladder. The choppers pulled away once everyone’s boots touched the ground. And just as they swung away, the echo of silence grew louder the further those slicing blades faded into the distance.

Very little words were spoken. Cloud headed for the massive hole in the rubble the Turks made. It went down deep, and the deeper they went, the more careful climbing was required. Flashlights flickered on to illuminate the way through. They took their time heading downward, taking every step at a measured pace. It felt more like a tour at one point than a mission to uncover the whereabouts of professor Holt. Even the SOLDIERS slowed their pace to take in their surroundings: vast tunnels mostly undisturbed by the chaos that had collapsed a few years ago above them.

Vincent caught up to Cloud on the second descent, cloak billowing behind him with his quicker pace. He walked beside the blonde and kept his voice low. “I have not been down here myself and yet it seems so familiar.”

“Yeah, well, if you’ve been in one mad scientist’s playground you’ve been in them all. It’s not like it was all Hojo’s fault. Shinra gave him free reign to do just about anything he wanted,” Cloud murmured, boots crunching the small debris with each step.

“Do you guys really think he’s down here?” Cid asked, catching up to them. He stepped in the middle, caught up to their pace.

“Judging by the undisturbed dirt and broken glass, I’d say he didn’t come in this way if he is,” Cloud replied. 

“It is very possible we are following a gho--” Vincent nearly tripped, an odd sight to see, but he caught and righted himself in his next steps instead of falling flat on his face. 

“What the--?” Cid stopped himself from cursing at that moment, but the words spilled from his mouth when he turned his light on what had tripped Vincent. A body lay prone indicating it had fallen while in motion.

“It’s her,” Cloud said, having knelt down beside the body. He reached to brush hair out of its face and revealed a woman dead only recently, perhaps in the last few days. Why hadn’t they smelled her? She didn’t look like she was decomposing. Maybe Holt had experimented on her, too. Maybe he didn’t want to know. He moved the beam of his flashlight up and down the length of her body and looked up at them to help get her rolled onto her back.

When the SOLDIERS caught up to them, they took up position up and down the hall while everyone else investigated.

“Holt’s wife. It matches her description,” Vincent added, glancing at Cid and Cloud.

“Guess that answers the question ‘bout whether Holt’s here or not.” Cid stood and placed his hands on his hips. “We gotta get her out of this place. She doesn’t belong down here.”

Two of the SOLDIERS had taken to investigating the area, checking the open rooms and busted windows. They moved a little further down the hall but didn’t stray too far away. There was no one else. Nothing. As far as they could tell, they were alone, and her tracks disappeared from the way she seemingly came.

Cloud nodded in agreement and stood as well. His stomach turned. Why did this have to be the thing they first stumbled upon? After a moment of thought, he spouted orders. “We’ll have two SOLDIERS take her above ground. That way there will still be five. That’s more than enough help in case we come across something worse,”  _ which we will _ , he thought to himself. He called for the men to haul her corpse gently back from where they came. The two men paid extra care as one carried her and one led the way. The rest of the group did not move until they could no longer see the light from the two who branched off, headed up the tunnel.

“It’s starting to get cold,” Cid mumbled, teeth rattling now. Their chattering echoed through the tunnel they turned down. According to the schematics everyone went over above ground, that would lead them to one of the main laboratories.

“There was power to the building last time. I don’t remember it being like this. Probably had rooms that needed temperature regulation,” Cloud explained. “When this place was operational, I mean.”

“So are some of the creatures you saw might just be dead because the climate down here has changed?” Cid carefully stepped over a beam that had been knocked over somehow.

“Maybe. It’s been pretty quiet so far,” Cloud said. He pulled his phone out to find they had been down there an hour already though it felt like much longer. “This is not like before.”

Silence. No indication of any life, no other hints and no indications they were headed in the right direction. They must have turned themselves around three times over before finding they had been in the same place half an hour ago. Footprints in the dust on the ground, fresh from their boots, prompted them to come up with a new plan. 

“We could be down here for days looking for this creep. What makes you think if we split up we’ll find him any easier?” Cid asked, irritation seeping from his tone of voice.

“Cid is right,” Vincent agreed. “Besides, it would be too dangerous to split up now. We do not know what’s down here and I highly doubt Reeve would be pleased to hear you even made the suggestion.”

Cloud let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. No splitting up. Let’s just...take it easy for a second. We can look at the schematics again, see if maybe we missed something.” He pulled a rounded device the size of his palm out of his pocket and pressed the button. An illuminated diagram of the underground tunnels flickered out in beams, creating a 3D map for them. “So we know we’ve already been through this way once before. It’s how we got here and it’s how we’ll get out. We took a right at this point--” Cloud pointed toward a connecting tunnel, not a main artery but something smaller “--and found ourselves down another level.”

“Are you sure we went down?” Vincent asked. “It does not make sense to me how we ended up back here, on the level we had already been.”

“Yeah, that does seem weird to me,” Cid agreed. “Especially since we didn’t go up any stairs.” He snapped his mouth shut and frowned, turned his head toward the door and listened.

“Um, Cid?” Cloud glanced around them all, wondering what he was missing.

The pilot hushed Cloud, swatted his hand in the man’s direction. “D’you hear that?”

Vincent said nothing while Cloud struggled to hear what it was Cid had heard. “No. What is it?”

“Scratching,” Vincent said. He rose from where he sat and softened his steps as he approached the door to the room they had taken refuge in. “Like what I heard back at the Highwind.”

Cid stood as well while the SOLDIERS readied their weapons, got into position. “It’s kind of far away. I thought maybe I was just hearing what I wanted to hear, but that’s stupid. I don’t want to hear this. Vince--!” He hissed and nearly grasped the gunman’s cloak as Vincent slipped by him through the door, but missed by an inch and was forced to follow. Everyone did.

A couple of twists and turns and soon enough the scratching sound grew louder. Now, everyone could hear it, but the source remained hidden for a time. Their search rewarded them after what felt like ages. A small but very real creature like the ones above ground dug at a pile of rubble blocking a metal door. It clawed desperately to get inside, but halted its movements at the sound of dirt scraping against the cement floor under Cid’s boots.

“I think it heard us,” Cid whispered. Their lights illuminated the creature who huddled down, back arched slightly. If it had eyes, they might have shone like deer in headlights, but this one seemed to be missing the glossy orbs where its eyeballs should have been.

Cloud stepped forward, reaching for the hilt of his sword, though he didn’t pull it out quite yet. “What’s behind that door?” he said to no one in particular. One foot in front of the other, slowly walking closer.

“Th’hell are you doing?” Cid hissed. “Get back here!”

“There’s got to be something behind that door,” Cloud whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, but not loud enough for his voice to echo. “Why would it be trying to get through there?” The closer Cloud inched toward it, the more the creature backed its side against the rubble. When he was about halfway down the hall, the creature panicked and jumped up into the ceiling, back from, perhaps, where it came. He ran forward and spat, “Shit,” when he realized the creature was gone.

“Tell me you’re not going after that thing,” Cid said when the creature disappeared.

Cloud stared up at the ceiling into what appeared to be a ventilation system. “Maybe this is how they’re getting through.”

“You’re not thinking of going inside, are you?” Cid asked.

“Do you have any explosives we can use to bust this door down?” Cloud countered. He knew the answer, but the look the pilot gave him made obvious he got the sarcasm. “One of us has to go up there and I’m...well, I might be able to fit better than anyone else.”

Vincent just stared, didn’t offer much objection. “He is not wrong,” he said to Cid who still contemplated the suggestion.

Cid relented eventually despite knowing it wasn’t up to him. “Fine. But you get your ass back here if anything happens. And try to find a way to get that door open so we can  _ all _ come with you.”

Cloud nodded and asked for a boost, which Vincent provided. He hoisted himself up into the vent the rest of the way and situated his body in the cramped space so he could shimmy back and forth. It took some time to get anywhere akin to the other side of the hall. He sneezed and coughed enough that one might’ve thought he was catching a cold, but that was to be expected, breathing in the dust and dirt that had settled there.

It took ramming the vent door with his boot heel to get the thing to swing down and off its hinges. The metal door clattered loudly against the cement floor and he jumped down after it settled. One look at the map once his eyes cleared of tears from sneezing so much put him about twenty feet away from the other side of the door.

He heard someone shout his name--Cid. Cloud approached the door to better listen. “That you on the other side?”

“It’s me,” Cloud replied. He placed his hand on the cool metal of the door and slid it about, searching for anything he could do to get it open.

“Any luck with the door?” Cid asked.

Cloud hesitated, still looking. He examined it knowing he would have to do it manually since there was no power. “I might have better leverage on this side to pry it open, but you’ll have to move some of that debris if you can.” The sound of boots scuffling on the floor echoed on the other side. He heard their efforts and, in the meantime, pulled his sword out. Cloud unhinged one of the smaller pieces from its compartment, gripped the handle firmly, and pressed to the left as that angle afforded him the most leverage.

Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead at the effort, even in the chilly temperature of the darkened corridor. He pushed, then tried pulling, but to no avail. Even with the strength of his sword, the door just wouldn’t budge. 

“It’s no use,” Cid grunted. One of the SOLDIERS joined with his sword in an attempt to pry the door open, but the thud that followed startled everyone. 

Cloud let out a cry, one of mostly surprise but also anger. He pulled his sword from the door and wielded two blades between both hands, swiping at the dark shadow coming for him. His blade made connection with a hard surface. It clanged noisily against the wall, shooting sparks that momentarily illuminated the hallway. It was enough to light up what he was fighting--another one of those creatures--and thankfully just one. He could hear scrambling behind him, behind the door. Sounded like they were trying to get it open much quicker now, but Cloud couldn’t focus too much on anything other than taking the monster down.

Within minutes, he had the thing pushed back to the end of the hall, didn’t really hear how they had pried the door open far enough that everyone could slip through, but the gunshots that whizzed past his ear certainly grabbed his attention. Cloud dropped his arms, backed away and moved against the wall while Vincent pierced the creature in the head with one well-timed bullet. 

“You okay?” Cid asked, only approaching when the threat became neutralized and twitched on the ground. Its dark-colored blood oozed from the wound in his head and what looked like brain and body matter decorated the floor and wall behind it.

“Fine,” Cloud said. He stuck the smaller piece back into the Fusion sword and hooked it onto the magnet on his back. “Just a little bruised, but I’ll live.” He touched his fingertips to his cheek where his face slammed against the door and caught his breath, glanced around now that there was some light. “Looks like we might be going in the right direction.”

“That just means we need to be even more careful,” Cid spat. “Letting you go up into that vent by yourself was a bad idea. From now on, we’re sticking together.”

No one objected, not even Cloud, though he did mention with a hint of pride that they had finally opened the door.

An ominous sound, one that froze their blood, but the distinct noise of laughter echoed down the hall. It wasn’t close, not in the next room, but it was still too close for comfort. Sounded like a man’s voice in a far away room carrying through the corridors and reverberating against the walls. Cloud thought to himself he might be crazy as it sounded like it could have been Hojo’s laughter. Even Vincent stared at him with the same thought in his gaze.

They did not rush, but everyone followed behind Cloud as he tracked down the sound. He turned right, then left, and found a room where the door sat cracked open. Even with the sound of their footfalls and the laughter did not cease. It grew softer now, less maniacal and something akin to disbelief.

“Was it that obvious?” Holt asked.

Unsure of who the professor was speaking to, Cloud glanced among Cid, Vincent, and the SOLDIERS, and he stepped into the room to find the man sitting in a chair as though there were nothing wrong with the situation.

“I must have been sloppy,” Holt responded when no one else spoke. He let out an exasperated sigh and shrugged. “It is no matter now. Nothing really matters in the end.”

“What did you do to your wife?” Cloud asked. “We found her in that hallway. You know she didn’t make it.”

“Mmm...she was weak, anyhow,” Holt mused. “Not like Zack. Not like you.”

Cloud frowned but said nothing.

“If you have found me here, I can only assume you know what my intentions were. Am I wrong?” Holt asked. “Have you come on a whim?”

“You’re partially right. We still don’t know what it is you meant to do with Zack--”

“How is he, by the way?” Holt interrupted. “Is his full strength returned? I’m quite surprised not to see him here. He, of all people, was the one I expected to be tagging along, if not leading the charge.” Holt tilted his head, stared up at Cloud from where he sat in the chair at the dusty desk.

“What did you do to him?” Cloud spat, inching forward again. He gripped the hilt of his sword. The sound of his palms rubbing against the leather squeaked softly. “If you don’t tell me, I swear to Gaia I will run you through with my sword. And I’ll make sure it takes a  _ long _ time for you to die.”

Holt chuckled. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. It is not as though I was able to achieve anything beyond what Hojo managed with that abysmal research of his. You should understand.” He leaned to the side a bit, glanced at Vincent. “And you. I can sense it, but he never talked to me about the Turk he nearly killed and experimented on. The claw is a nice touch. A little flashy for my tastes, but nice.”

Vincent hardly reacted, unlike Cid who took a step forward. “Say that again and I’ll knock your head off your shoulders.”

This time, Holt rose from the chair and leaned against the desk. “Amusing, I must say, but I’m sure you’re all itching for answers.”

“I’d like not to have to kill you,” Cloud said, “but I will if that’s what it comes to. It’s your choice.”

“No, it is  _ not _ my choice,” Holt spat. “What choice do you think I had when I was practically given the perfect specimen? There was no choice involved here and you’re naive to think so. I did what Hojo couldn’t do.”

“I thought you said you failed. Hojo’s research wasn’t good enough,” Cloud said.

“Correct.  _ Hojo’s _ research failed, but what he wasn’t able to do and what I couldn’t gather from it led me to different avenues,” Holt explained. “Unlike my mentor, I am not looking to bring back Sephiroth or...create a race of superhuman, cross-bred soldiers. What I want I do not think you would truly understand.”

Cloud lowered his sword if only a bit. “Try me.”

Holt said nothing. He smirked and chuckled, thinking. “Perhaps you are the closest to what it is I was looking for. Killed Sephiroth with your own two hands.” Holt whistled, impressed. “Not once, but twice. What kind of man incapable of becoming a SOLDIER can you say is capable of that?” He pointed in Cloud’s direction. “What I want is  _ you _ . I didn’t realize it at the time. Hojo didn’t take much note of it. Or maybe he just didn’t hang onto you tight enough.”

“Well, you can’t have him,” Cid said, stepping in front of Cloud, “so get down off yer high horse and shut it already. We ain’t got all day!”

Holt ignored the pilot’s commands, almost as if the man wasn’t even there. “Cloud, just think about it,” the professor continued. “I’m sure you’ve wondered how you were capable of such strength. I’m sure...there are times when you lie awake in bed imagining a strength so much more powerful than anything anyone has ever seen. I can improve upon it. There were positive results in her, but she was weak. She couldn’t handle it.”

She? Cloud’s stomach turned at the thought. Holt was talking about his wife.

“It was too late to find another subject. She had to do,” Holt explained. “Maybe if I had more time to develop a better way to read the sequencing…”

“That’s enough,” Cloud said, voice firm. He stepped from behind Cid and raised his sword. “Give it up now. You have nowhere else to run.”

Holt didn’t back down at the sword point five feet away from his face. He stared at it, smirked, and chuckled. Surely, he knew his time was limited. Cloud could see the cogs working in his mind. It was figuring out what he had in store that was difficult to determine. Not a split second later and Cloud heard that high-pitched ring in his ears, inside his head. It pierced his skull like an ice pick lodging itself into his brain. He winced, reached one hand up to his head and tilted to the side, stance wavering. What came next was a blur.

Something warm hit his face, warm and wet. It painted the side of his head, but he couldn’t tell what it was. Flashes of light blinked and lit up the shadows. Down became up. Up became down. It felt like he was moving, but really he couldn’t tell. He thought her heard shouting from down the hall even if it didn’t make sense. They had been in the room before his head felt like it might explode.

He knew he was moving, this way and that, still on his feet. That was a good sign. He wasn’t down for the count just yet. Holt came at him, but not as some fearsome creature like Hojo had turned into when they had been forced to fight. Holt hadn’t experimented on himself. Or maybe he had and his appearance wasn’t affected. Either way, the pain that pierced his stomach was the thing to send him to the ground. At the very least, he knew his up from down now and the pain that followed sent him into a dark abyss even darker than the halls of the underground tunnels.


	14. Chapter 14

“Be  _ careful _ with him!” Cid spat. He kept a close eye on the SOLDIERS hustling out of the tunnels with Cloud on a stretcher one of the helicopters had lowered down. With the Turks not far behind, they were in and out of the underground with everyone mostly intact in less than a few hours, but they couldn’t ride with Cloud given the lack of room and the fact he was being transported to headquarters with a team of medics.

“He will be fine,” Vincent said in his most reassuring tone once they were in the air. He had even placed his hand on the pilot’s arm in an attempt to quell his nerves. They were all shaken up after what had happened, still confused as to how things had turned against them.

Cid glanced at the gunman, held his gaze. “It’s not that I’m worried about. Tifa’s gonna kill us if he doesn’t make it. And after all the shit he’s been through getting Zack back in his life...what if he doesn’t?”

“Cloud is strong,” Vincent reminded him. “This will not be the first injury he has sustained, and it will not be the last.”

“Yeah, and how many more can he take before something goes really wrong?” Cid leaned against the hard metal of the chopper’s inside. The helicopter shook when they hit a pocket of unstable air, but it settled and their smooth sailing resumed. “He didn’t stand a chance.”

“I expect a thorough search of the place will reveal Holt’s intentions,” Vincent mused. “He may not be able to tell us himself, but I am certain we will get answers in time.”

Cid just grunted. They didn’t speak about what had happened any longer, not until Reeve met them on the helipad once they touched down. The suited man waited until the chopper had come to a full rest before approaching the door. He had to hold his tie down lest it flap about uncontrollably from the wind.

“I do hope you intend on telling me why Cloud is being transported to the emergency department on a stretcher,” Reeve said, voice grave though with a slight hint of scorn in his tone. He hadn’t meant for an answer out there in the deafening whip of the chopper blades. Only when they were downstairs in the privacy of his office did they provide an explanation.

Vincent sat on the leather sofa while Cid nervously paced the room. Both of them had dirt and blood splattered about their skin and clothes, but that didn’t matter at the moment. They were mostly unharmed and their superficial wounds could be treated later. Now was the time for answers.

“...After we found his wife, we found him,” Cid explained. “He was in this room in a offshoot hall down the main corridor, just sittin’ in the fucking dark like the lunatic he is...er, was. We’re not all that sure.” He lifted his hand and nervously scratched the back of his head.

Reeve frowned at that. “Not sure? What do you mean you’re  _ not sure _ ?”

“What Cid means is that after some dialogue, Holt explained he had indeed experimented on Zack, but that his experiments failed like they did for Hojo,” Vincent explained. “There was someone else he wanted and he had not realized it until we confronted him.”

Reeve glanced between the two of them before settling his gaze on the gunman. “Who?”

“Cloud,” Vincent said. “I assume he suspects Cloud’s enhancements may differ from Zack’s. After all, he was the one to kill Sephiroth. And not just once, but twice. We’ve all been there. We all saw it.” He paused, thinking. “I cannot myself deny he may have a point. Judging by my own experience with Hojo, it makes sense the two would come to the same conclusion. Just before anything happened, he called out what sounded like a command and that’s when the monsters attacked.”

“Attacked who--attacked everyone or just one person?” Reeve wondered.

“Everyone at first, though Holt’s direct instruction was to come after Cloud.” Vincent shifted where he sat, switched his crossed legs, one over the other. 

“And then Cloud fought back,” Cid said. He joined Vincent on the couch, leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “We all did. There were about six of those monsters, but in tight quarters like that and with so many people stuffed together, it was hard to fight. Cloud did what he needed to do and then he was ambushed. They came at him from behind, pierced him in the stomach and he went to the ground. If it wasn’t for Vincent’s quick thinking, Cloud might not still be here.”

Reeve let out a heavy sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose. “What happened to Holt?” he asked, opening his eyes again. “You said he was dead, or...is maybe not.”

“After the commotion settled and the monsters cleared out of the room,” Vincent explained, “he was just gone. I know he was hit with sword strikes and bullets. I put a few of them in him myself.”

Cid nodded. “When we went to find him, he was just gone. There was no trace left, and the monsters disappeared, too.”

“How can that be?” Reeve wondered. “You said the fight took place in a small room. Did it look like there was a door or a hallway he could have escaped through? Where did the monsters go?”

“In all honesty,” Vincent said, “it was much too chaotic to pay close attention. When Cloud fell, my focus went to him. He lost quite a bit of blood even by the time we got him on a stretcher. That is, with pressing down on the wound until the medics could meet us.”

“Gaia help me,” Reeve sighed. He brought both hands up to his face and pressed them firmly, rubbing his eyes. None of them spoke for a moment, not until Reiben knocked on the door and slipped inside the room. “How is he?” Reeve asked, lifting his head. “Is he still with us?”

Reiben nodded. “Amazingly so, yes. He is not out of the woods yet, but the surgeon is confident he will make it.”

“Good. That is good.” Reeve stood from his chair behind the desk and turned to Vincent and Cid. “You two should clean yourselves up, get those wounds checked out. It seems as though we’ll be waiting a time to hear how Cloud is doing.” He paused, frowning. “And...someone has to tell Tifa and Zack about what happened.”

“Why don’t we do it?” Cid suggested. “That way she won’t rip your head off when she finds out.”

“No,” Reeve said. “No, I should be the one. I asked him to go down there and orchestrated this whole thing. If anyone tells her, it should be me.” He paused again, thinking. The cogs in his mind worked furiously. He turned his attention to Reiben once he had come to a decision. “Will you call for my car? I should just get it over with, do it now so they know.”

“Do you think that is a good idea, sir?” Reiben asked. “You have limited knowledge of his condition. What if they insist on seeing him? He will be indisposed for some time.”

“It’s time to pull the bandaid off,” Reeve said with a nod. He excused himself from the room, not bothering to shoo the men out so fast. He didn’t mind if they lingered, which they did, but only for a short while. 

Vincent suggested they tag along to the bar. Despite their own wounds, being there for Tifa and Zack seemed all the more important, especially considering they were the ones that had witnessed the whole ordeal. The least they could do was give them as much detail as they wanted.

Both of them arrived mere minutes after Reeve. Zack and Tifa sat together at one of the tables while Reeve sat on the other side, and they all turned their heads toward the door when it opened.

“Is he okay?” Tifa asked, shooting up from her seat. She ran to Cid, grabbed his shirt rather firmly. The strength behind her grip startled him. “Reeve told us Cloud was hurt. What the hell happened down there?”

Cid hesitated to answer and gently pried her hand off him before answering. “He’s fine. I mean, he  _ will  _ be fine. Right, Vince?”

The question took Vincent off guard, but he nodded. “It was good we got him out of there before anything else happened.”

Their answers seemed not to quell her anxiety. Tifa remained standing instead of taking her seat next to Zack, who hadn’t said a word since Reeve arrived, hadn’t even raised his gaze from the table, but they all crowded around it anyway. “When can we see him?” she asked.

“Ah...well, it’s best to let the doctors do what they need to do,” Reeve said. He glanced at Zack who’s face sunk even deeper into sadness. “But Cid is definitely right. I cannot imagine him not pulling through.”

Tifa wrapped her arms around herself and paced nervously. “I can’t believe this is happening. I  _ told _ him this was a bad idea and he went anyway. Now look what’s happened. What if he doesn’t make it? I--” She put her hand over her mouth. “No. No, that’s not possible.”

Reeve stood and put both hands on her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. “Let me take you to see him,” he said softly. “We may not be able to see him right away, but we’ll all be there when he’s ready for us.” He turned his gaze over his shoulder at Zack. “Does that sound good?”

The dark-haired man raised his worried gaze, lost in a stupor, like someone had slapped him across the face, full strength, open palm. “Yeah…” Zack said softly, and that was about all he could manage. Even if they couldn’t see Cloud right away, being close to him might be enough to shave off the edge of their worries.

\--

Several hours later with little information to go on and they all lingered in the waiting room. Both Cid and Vincent sat together near one of the television screens that played the news. The reporter mentioned, from what they could understand with the volume turned down low, that there was a noticeable lack of monster sightings--a welcome change from the increasingly uncertain future of the city and its citizens. Normal life had returned and people felt more comfortable to return to their routines. 

Reeve sat with Tifa, arms crossed over his chest. He took his blazer off at some point and loosened the tie, rolled the arms of his sleeves up to his elbows to get comfortable. The two of them stared at Zack who sat on his own, staring at the floor. Every now and then, he would glance at the double doors leading to the main corridor, but no one came through.

At nearly half-past midnight, the surgeon finally appeared from behind the doors to speak to Reeve in the corner of the waiting area. He had good news to pass along, but only after a few antagonizing moments of waiting. Cloud had stabilized and was in a private room on his way to recovery. The doctor insisted, though, that only one person at a time could be inside with him. The last thing they wanted was for everyone to crowd in lest he have another emergency, so it was Tifa who volunteered to go first.

She took her time holding his hand, stroking his arm, and yet Cloud said nothing. His eyes stayed shut as he rested peacefully. A small tube delivering oxygen through his nose sat just on his upper lip, and the needle in his arm, taped down to his skin with a tube strung out of the end, were the only signs he had just been through surgery. The rest of his exposed body, face and arms, told a different story. One might have thought he wrestled one of the creatures with his bare hands with how many cuts and bruises he had sustained. After a bit of chatter of what the kids had been doing and how they mentioned wishing they could see him, Tifa left the room, but not before kissing him on the forehead. She gave his ankle a squeeze and took her leave, waving in the next visitor.

Cid, Vincent, and Reeve took a few minutes with him, not wanting to take up too much time. But Zack hesitated to go into the room when his turn arrived, even after a little encouragement from Tifa.

~

He stepped into the room slowly, eyes glued to the blonde lying in the bed under that thin hospital blanket. The sight of Cloud turned Zack’s gut over and over. He fought the urge to vomit, swallowed it down, and stopped at the foot of the bed to take it all in. “Gods,” Zack whispered, thankful Cloud wasn’t awake to see him on the verge of tears. They stung his eyes, made his nostrils flare.

Zack moved to the chair at Cloud’s bedside and sat down, immediately putting his hand on Cloud’s cold and clammy fist. To see him in such a state ushered in painful memories Zack had tried desperately to stuff down, lock away. This wasn’t his life anymore. He wasn’t running from anyone and he didn’t need to protect Cloud like he had that year they were on the run from Shinra. If anything, Cloud protected him by going after Holt and his actions nearly landed him in the morgue instead of surgery.

“I should have been the one to go down there,” Zack murmured, trying and failing to hold back tears. He reached up to stroke Cloud’s hair, feeling how soft it still was even after all he had been through. “I should have gone after Holt. Not you. This is my fault.” His voice cracked on the last words. Zack sniffled, gave one last effort to stop the tears spilling over his cheeks, but they ran down his face hot and fast. He kept his sobbing to a silent snivel, not wanting anyone to suspect anything and come in and take his time with Cloud away. “Please don’t die,” Zack mewled. “ _ Please _ .” He stroked Cloud’s skin with his thumb, realizing it was quite soft there on his wrist.

_ Pathetic _ , he thought.  _ Listen to yourself, crying like a child. You better pull yourself together before they come in here to tell you your time is up. _

Zack lifted his head. He sniffled hard and used the back of his wrist to wipe the tears from his face. He let out a sigh, though it came out shallow and shaky. If he could will Cloud to wake up from his coma-like state, now would be the moment, but Cloud didn’t move an inch, didn’t respond to his presence. They had him on some heavy painkillers to keep him asleep and unaware of the pain.

For a moment, Zack pulled his gaze away from the blonde lying in bed. He glanced at the machine reading Cloud’s vitals, which were stable and steady. The gentle beeps came rhythmically. Then his eyes moved to the door. A nurse walked past it, scrub pants swishing as she made her way perhaps to another room to check on a different patient. He still had a little time left, but Zack quickly made up his mind then and there that he would not leave that place, wouldn’t stray too far, not until Cloud was walking out of the building to go home.

The nurse who came to check on him came much too soon for his liking. She apologized, sensing his distress, but insisted on giving Cloud time to rest and walked with Zack out to the waiting area before turning to carry on.

“You should go home,” Reeve said to Zack, “get some rest. All of you.”

Zack shook his head. “I’m staying here.” He had made up his mind about it and no one could sway him any other way.

“Zack…” Tifa butted in, though soft in her tone of voice. “We’ll all do better if we get rest, too.”

“I can sleep here, on the chair,” Zack said, motioning to the waiting area where they had been sitting. “I’ve slept in worse places before.” He had meant it to be a funny comment, but the humor in his voice wasn’t there.

Both Reeve and Tifa shared a look, both wanted to tell him otherwise, but neither had the heart to argue. So Reeve nodded and uncrossed his arms. “Let me see if...perhaps there is an empty room here you can at least sleep in,” he said as he walked off to find someone to arrange better accommodations than a chair.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay here by yourself?” Tifa asked. “You can come to the bar with us and sleep in Cloud’s old room.”

Zack nodded. “Yeah. I appreciate the offer, but I think I should be here.”

She made a face he couldn’t quite distinguish and let out a sigh, nodded. “Okay.” She turned to look at Cid and Vincent who seemed to already have plans to leave. They lingered, however, until Reeve returned with good news and a nurse in tow. She had a room Zack could sleep in for the time being.

“Please try not to stay here too long,” Reeve said. “You’re welcome to, but...I would prefer it if you got proper rest in your own bed.” He continued with a nod of understanding from Zack. “I will be back to check on you and Cloud in the morning. Tifa, you’re welcome to join me.” She gave him a nod but said little more than goodbye for now. 

\--

_ “Cloud?”  _

_ Zack glanced at the blond curled up on the blanket he had laid out for him. After days of running and catching only a few hours of sleep here and there, they had finally stopped in an abandoned cabin Zack wasn’t sure where it was located. All he knew was that no one currently occupied it. It certainly wasn’t lived in given the dust that had accumulated on everything, and the fact that the door had been left unlocked, and that most of the furniture had been taken away some time ago. That didn’t matter much to him. As long as they had a roof over their heads for the night, he could sleep a little easier knowing they would not be exposed to the elements or the possibility of being spotted. _

_ “I was thinking we could go to my parents’ place, but I don’t want to get them involved in all this,” Zack continued. Cloud didn’t respond. He never did, and so Zack didn’t expect an answer. “We could head to the city instead. Might be a little easier to keep on the downlow out there. Then we can figure out what to do once we get into town. I know someone who would be willing to help us. She’s a pretty good person. That girl I was telling you about. Remember her?” _

_ Zack stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the crickets chirping outside the house somewhere. There were times, he thought, he wished Cloud would be coherent enough to respond. Talking to himself wasn’t always the most exhilarating conversation, but having Cloud there was more than enough. _

_ “I think my parents would like you a lot, though,” Zack mused, continuing his thought from before. “You’re, like...probably the shining example of the kind of son they wanted. I wasn’t very good to them, you know. I was actually pretty defiant, if you can believe it. I ran off when I was really young to join the military and just never reached out to them. Can you imagine if your 13-year-old son disappeared without a word?” Zack chuckled to himself. “I would’ve whooped my own ass. _

_ “I did eventually send them a letter telling them I had joined the military, but I doubt that made them less worried. ‘ _ Dear mom and dad, I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you, but I joined the military. P.S. I don’t plan on coming home any time soon.’  _ Zack snorted. “Yeah, I would really kick my butt the next time I saw me.” He paused as he thought about the situation he had come from and the situation they had found themselves in. “I’d ask you what your mom thought about you joining the military, but I’m sure she didn’t approve.” _

_ Zack let out a sigh and pulled his hands out from under his head. He turned onto his side, propped his head up with one arm so he could look at Cloud through the darkness. The blonde had only curled up tighter into the ball he had formed for himself. “I wish I could have met her. She sounded like a nice lady from what you tell me. And that picture you showed me of her and you...you’re like a spitting image.” _

_ He fell silent, thinking, remembering what had happened and how he couldn’t quite protect Cloud the way he had hoped to. Now, there was no way he could ever meet Claudia. And Cloud would never see his mother again. That bit at Zack hard. He closed his eyes and tried to fight the urge to vomit as those memories flooded his mind. _

_ “We’ll get to Midgar, Cloud,” Zack said just barely above a whisper. “If it’s the last thing I do...we’ll get there.” He turned onto his back again and laced his fingers together, rested them on his chest. Zack forced himself to close his eyes, to get some rest. He would need it for the long journey ahead. _

\--

The knock on the door was what woke him. He lifted his head, glanced around the dark room, and took a moment to recall where he was. Zack sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. Despite having an actual bed to sleep in, he felt like he hadn’t slept one wink. It was not the most comfortable bed; the blanket they provided might as well have been a tissue paper. And then, in his half-awake stupor, he remembered someone was waiting out in the hall. He climbed off the bed, boots still on his feet, and opened the door to the bright hallway light.

“Sorry to wake you,” the nurse from earlier said. She was the one who had shown him the room, “but it seems like Cloud is starting to stir. He’s been moving around a bit and I heard him say a few things.”

Zack’s tired eyes opened wide now, interested. “Can I see him?” he asked, growing hopeful the answer would be yes.

“You can,” she nodded, “but you must be quiet when you go inside since there are other patients in the hall, and I could get in trouble for letting you in after visiting hours. The doctor won’t be in until later in the morning, though.”

“What time is it anyway?” Zack asked.

“Just after four,” the nurse replied. That made sense. He had only gotten about two, maybe three hours of shut eye. “You have a couple of hours before the doctor gets in and then he’ll want to see how Cloud is doing.”

“Okay…” Zack hesitated, still half-asleep, but he didn’t have anything in the room holding him back. He followed the nurse down the quiet hall, realizing there weren’t too many rooms actually occupied as it wasn’t a fully dedicated public hospital. She stopped them just outside the room and said she would return in an hour to check in, but urged him to call in case anything happened.

Zack moved into the room with a bit more anticipation this time. The nurse had not lied about the fact that Cloud was moving more. He remained on his back on the bed, every now and then shifting one leg or turning his head from side to side. Zack parked himself in the chair he had sat in a few hours before and took Cloud’s hand in his own, gently stroking it in hopes of calming his movements.

“I’m here,” Zack said, keeping his voice down. Maybe Cloud would respond to him now. It was worth a try. He stroked Cloud’s arm and continued talking to him. “You’re safe. You’re in the city and I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Cloud’s lips parted slightly; a murmur escaped him, but he didn’t wake just then.

“That’s right. Just rest,” Zack told him, but Cloud stirred a little more.

He peeled his eyes open seconds later. A seemingly difficult task, like he might have sand in them. It took Cloud some time to focus them, but Zack was right there at his side the moment he was able to be. Cloud tilted his head a little and stared at Zack, confused.

“Hey.” Zack tried not to smile too widely. “You were supposed to stay asleep.”

Cloud furrowed his brows and winced. His bruised cheek pulled and sent pain shooting through his face, no doubt. “What…?” The question sounded more like commentary on his general situation, how he had ended up in the hospital, how much time had passed since they went into the underground tunnels, how much time it had been since he confronted Holt. They could get to all of that later, though.

Zack fought the urge to stand up and take Cloud into his arms. He couldn’t risk exacerbating his wounds. “Try not to move around too much,” he said, all the while stroking Cloud’s bicep. “You’re in the hospital, okay? You were attacked when you guys were in the underground tunnels, but you’re here now. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Cloud swallowed a thick lump down his throat, glanced up at the ceiling through his watery gaze. He seemed to understand what had happened, but Zack couldn’t be too sure. Not until he started talking.

“Where is Holt?” Cloud croaked and winced at the scratchiness in his throat. He lifted his hand to touch it.

“I don’t know, but maybe we shouldn’t talk about it right now,” Zack suggested. His excitement overwhelmed him and he lifted Cloud’s hand to kiss the back of it. “I’m just…” There it was. His eyes stung and his lips started to quiver.

“Zack.” Cloud lifted his hand and brushed his fingertips over the other’s cheek. 

“Sorry.” Zack sniffled, wiped his eyes before the tears could spill. “I just...I thought you wouldn’t make it. When Reeve came to the bar to tell us what happened, I thought my stomach would drop onto the floor. And then Cid and Vincent came and all I could think about was how I should have been the one to go down there.”

Cloud shook his head, though he was careful about moving it too much. He took Zack’s hand in his own, although his grip was much weaker than before. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true,” Zack huffed. “I told them I couldn’t go home. They wouldn’t let me stay in here with you, but Reeve asked them to find me a bed to sleep on and I’ve been here since yesterday evening. I couldn’t just leave and act like nothing happened. What if you hadn’t made it? What if they couldn’t do anything to save you?”

“Zack, stop,” Cloud said, voice still weak but more insistent this time. “Please.”

Zack snapped his mouth shut when he realized how terrifying his thoughts could be. He stared at Cloud, scraped and bruised but otherwise alive and he leaned his head down against his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. The feel of Cloud’s hand on his head, fingers combing through his hair was a welcome touch.

They stayed that way for a time before Zack lifted his head and kissed Cloud’s shoulder.

“Where is everyone else?” Cloud shifted slightly, winced as he did.

“They all went home to get some rest,” Zack said. “But they’ll be here in the morning.”

“What time is it?”

Zack lifted his head to glance at the clock. “About four thirty.” He watched as Cloud closed his eyes again, understandably exhausted. Zack had experienced enough of his own injuries to know sometimes it was a struggle just to be awake, and he hadn’t even seen the extent of Cloud’s wounds. 

“I don’t think he’s dead,” Cloud said after a long moment of silence between them.

“Who?”

“Holt.” 

Zack didn’t know what to make of that, but he questioned it anyway. “What makes you think he’s not dead?”

“I just know.” Cloud shifted again, this time in an attempt to sit upright, but Zack made him stay down and used the remote on the bedside to shift it into an upright position. He settled, still feeling the effects of the pain medication as made obvious by the woozy look in his eyes, and continued his thought. “He wanted me. He must’ve...seen my files in the research and thought he had a chance to do whatever it is he was thinking of doing. The way he was looking at me reminded me every bit of Hojo, but...not? Was different.”

“Cloud…”

“No, Zack. I mean it.” Cloud met Zack’s worried gaze. “We have to find him and take him out. Lock up those files and never let them get in anyone else’s hands.”

The nurse from before rushed into the room as if on cue to find them talking. “You’re up,” she said. “Your vitals are a little high. That’s why I’m here.” She moved to his bedside and began to lower the bed down. “You really shouldn’t be propped up like this. The stitches might rip.”

“I’m fine,” Cloud insisted. That’s when Zack let go of his hand.

“You might be, but my orders are to make sure we do what I can to keep you from landing yourself in the operating room again. I doubt the doctor would be all that happy to know you need surgery again,” she replied, leaving the bed propped up only a few inches. “Now, rest. One of the other nurses almost came in here but I told her I would get it. I’m giving you two this time because I think it’s important, so don’t compromise it.” 

“She’s right,” Zack said to Cloud. “You need to relax. Just until you’re well enough to go home.”

“You’ve made remarkable strides even in the last few hours,” the nurse assured him. “If you’re patient for just a little longer, I have no doubt you’ll be going home in a day or two, three at the most.” Once she was done fiddling with his IV and the machine taking his vitals, she stepped back and asked if there was anything he needed, only to leave again when Cloud said he was fine.

Despite the interruption, the blonde continued his train of thought from before once they were alone again. “I’ll do whatever I have to to deal with him.” Cloud took the man’s hand again, laced their fingers together. “I promise.”

“Like hell you are,” Zack snorted. “Look at what happened to you because of that. You shouldn’t have to take this into your own hands. You’ve already been through a lot, so why won’t you just let it go? I’m here with you now and I don’t want to lose you again. Not after everything we’ve been through together. Why can’t you understand that?”

His words hit Cloud like a ton of bricks. Zack could see it in Cloud’s eyes and he was thankful they had finally caught traction. Cloud turned his gaze away for a moment as he turned those words over in his head. He seemed to struggle with a response but finally replied with, “I’m sorry.”

Zack shook his head. “Don’t be sorry.” He took Cloud’s hand again. “Just...stop trying to take on everything by yourself. You don’t need to do that anymore.” He pressed his head down against Cloud’s arm, needing to feel that soft, warm skin, to smell him and remind himself that he had made it out alive.

Cloud’s voice came softly. He spoke the man’s name and Zack lifted his head. “Kiss me?”

An odd request, he thought, at a time like this, but Zack wasn’t going to deny Cloud what he wanted. He leaned in and pressed their lips together very softly, almost as if he might hurt him if he did it any harder. He could feel how weak Cloud was, but it still felt good to kiss Cloud. They lingered against one another’s mouths before pulling back.

“Rest,” Zack said. “The nurse is going to shoo me away a in bit, so I don’t want to waste time talking about all this bad stuff right now. I just want to be here with you.”

It took time, but Cloud obliged and leaned his head against the pillow, having been holding it up slightly while they kissed. “Okay,” Cloud whispered, eyes still on Zack as though he might as well be a dream. He couldn’t fight the exhaustion that weighed heavily in his eyelids. They slid shut eventually, and his vitals steadied to a slower rhythm on the machine.


	15. Chapter 15

Tifa walked down the hall after it appeared clear from one glance around the corner. She hadn’t gotten any sleep that night, tossed and turned in bed, and reluctantly got out after what felt like hours of struggling. She made her way downstairs to the bar to clean, but even that didn’t distract her enough to calm her racing thoughts. 

Knowing Cloud was in the hospital with such a grave injury scared her beyond anything she could imagine, and she had seen quite a bit when she thought back to everything they had been through together. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t heeded her request not to go the first time. Things were different a few months ago, not nearly as dangerous as they became when the monsters breached the Midgar ruins and came into Edge city. He didn’t have a choice this time, not with the kind of evidence practically falling into their laps. And so, after wasting hours of time she might have been lying awake in bed, Tifa quietly left the bar to go to the hospital.

She didn’t bother asking for permission to see Cloud after hours. They wouldn’t let her, most likely, and the last thing she wanted to do was argue with hard-working nurses simply trying to do their jobs. They wouldn’t understand. She wasn’t thinking rationally and she knew it. The next best thing to do was to sneak inside, which proved to be easier than she thought it would. The cameras were harder to avoid, but easy to track once she realized how far along they were spaced. Fortunately, not too many people wandered the halls. It made sneaking back to Cloud’s room laughably easy.

Someone nearly collided with her from around the last corner. She skidded to a stop, thankful her shoes didn’t squeal on the tile floor, and pressed her body against the wall only to watch as the nurse paused in her tracks and turned to face the person she was talking to. Tifa’s heart hammered in her chest. What kind of excuse would she make up?  _ Oh, I’m just visiting my good friend but I decided not to bother you guys and snuck in the back. _ They would have her arrested. Or, at the very least, have her detained until Reeve could come by to clear things up.

She peered around the corner of the hall to watch as the nurse made her way down the opposite end and disappeared. Only then did Tifa step quietly across the pristinely clean white floors, taking feather-like steps. Room 404...403...402… Just before she could make her way into Cloud’s room, Tifa paused and glanced up and down the hall once more to make sure no one had spotted her. From inside, she heard muffled voices and she peered through the small window in the door. It was hard to see too far inside, but she spotted Zack’s black hair from where he was sitting in the chair beside Cloud. Nothing out of the ordinary knowing he had stayed behind. Maybe he had the same idea and snuck in after hours. When he leaned in and kissed Cloud on the lips, however, she nearly gasped and threw her hand over her mouth to stop the sound.

Cloud and Zack kissing? That made no sense. No, it made perfect sense. Did it really, though? Her mind raced again, so many questions came to light about when this had started. Perhaps they had been intimate like this before she had found him some time ago at the train station, when they were together in the military. The thought that this might be a newfound sentiment given the circumstances crossed her mind, too. Either way, what she did know was that it hurt her heart to think of. It hurt even more to see and all Tifa could do was retreat and leave through the main entry.

Some of the nurses stared at her with surprise and suspicion in their eyes and rightfully so. A stranger practically running out of the hospital having been given no permission made for an interesting scene. She didn’t head back to the bar, but rather roamed the city, walking with no particular destination in mind. Tifa had always suspected there was something different about Cloud’s relationship with Zack and now she had confirmation. Could she truly fault him for the way he felt? He hadn’t exactly leaned away from the kiss. If anything, he looked to be the one encouraging it the way his hand gently brushed Zack’s arm. 

Bile rose in the back of her throat, stirred deep within her stomach, and threatened to spew over. She loved him. She would never stop loving him and to see Cloud kissing someone that was not her was devastating. Tifa didn’t care that they hadn’t been a couple for some time now. She didn’t care that Cloud had told her he couldn’t be what she needed. Her understanding of his inner struggle obviously stretched only so far. How could she have missed such a huge sign?

Tifa nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Reeve calling, but chose not to answer. Overhead, the sky had turned from pitch black predawn to a hazy pale blue sky and it looked like rain with the clouds rolling in. Tifa tucked her phone back into her pocket only to feel it buzz again. This time, someone sent her a text message. Then another. Then one more before her phone settled for a time.

Nearly two hours after leaving the bar and surely someone noticed she was gone. If not Marlene, who roused quite early like herself, to help clean before school, it had to have been Barret since Denzel liked to sleep in. Then she remembered Reeve was going to stop by that morning to pick her up and take her to the hospital and her short lived curiosity didn’t matter so much anymore.

She stopped at a corner near one of the main roads and backed up against the brick wall of a building. Two missed calls and several text messages littered her phone screen. She glanced up, looked this way and that as life around her moved without notice of her plight. Tifa brought the phone to her ear, listened as it rang.

“Where are you?” Reeve answered. “Barret told me you had gone missing when I got to the bar. Is everything alright?”

“I’m fine,” Tifa said and she clenched her other fist only to let it relax. Pretending to be those words felt a lot harder than saying them. “I’m headed back to the bar now. Tell everyone I’m sorry I scared them.”

“How about I come pick you up instead? We can go to the hospital together,” Reeve suggested. 

Quite honestly, she didn’t want to go to the hospital after what she had seen, but if she made a thing of it then certainly someone would assume something more than upset over his injuries. She could at least work with suspicions of anxiety over Cloud being in the hospital. Anything more and she might break.

“I’m...near the monument. I just had to clear my head,” Tifa explained despite not being asked.

“Right, well, stay there. I will be there as soon as I can.” Reeve ended the call a moment later much to her relief.

Tifa closed her phone, stuffed it back into her pocket, and slid down the wall, knees drawn to her chest. A cold rain, light at first, sprinkled over the city and over her head. By the time Reeve’s car pulled around and stopped near the curb, she was soaked to the bone.

Reeve slid out and wrapped his heavy coat around her shoulders, ushering her inside the car first before sliding in after. “What in the world were you doing out here by yourself? It’s pouring.”

“I couldn’t sleep.” It wasn’t a lie, after all, just an omission of all the facts. “I was so worried about Cloud and so restless that I just needed to get out.” Again, the truth, which made lying about her feelings now so easy.

“We’re all very worried about Cloud,” Reeve replied. “I’ve been told that he is doing better and that he’s actually awake now. The doctor overseeing his case should be wrapping up soon.”

Tifa said nothing, focused intently on ignoring the image of Cloud kissing Zack. She heard Reeve say something but couldn’t quite focus on his words. Something about wanting to go in to say hi if the doctor allowed it. Then her mind raced over the idea of confronting him. What would she say to Cloud if she couldn’t hold herself together? What would they say if she refused to go inside? Either way, Tifa felt trapped and she knew she had to make a decision.

The car pulled into the back entry of the building she had just escaped from, but this time they would come in through a private entrance. She wasn’t soaked to the bone anymore, but she was cold and shivering. Reeve still offered her a towel when they made their way inside. She took it, thankful, and at least dried her hair and her skin. The slight chill hardly fazed her.

They had to wait a good half hour before they were allowed to see Cloud. She didn’t insist on seeing him first, so Reeve volunteered to go inside before she did. The wait had given her time to figure out what she was going to say and how she was going to say it. Now was not the time to confront him about what she had seen. Maybe she would never confront him. Maybe she would keep it hidden deep away in her heart and accept the fact that they would never be together. The thought made her heart sink into her stomach. She cleared her throat as she stood outside the slightly cracked door to his room and forced herself to move one foot in front of the other.

Cloud glanced at Tifa from where he sat propped up in bed. He did look better. They had removed the oxygen tube from his nose, but he still had an IV in his arm. His face seemed to have regained some of its color as well. A welcome sight, but still.

“Hey,” Cloud said softly, voice a bit hoarse.

She moved to the foot of his bed and lingered there, not quite ready to stand too close. “You look a lot better,” she offered.

Cloud snorted softly. “They say I’m doing better, but I won’t be able to leave for a few days.” Tifa said nothing in response. He quickly took note of her silence and began to apologize profusely. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You know I didn’t.”

“It’s fine,” Tifa interrupted. Cloud had always been that way with her, afraid of what she would think or feel. And it was usually because of the things he said or did. Except this time, it wasn’t so much his fault as it was her own for thinking things might turn around for them. “I just…” She glanced down at his foot under the blanket and turned her gaze away. “I’m glad you’re doing better. I’m sure the kids will be happy to hear it.” She knew that he knew she was holding back, but she couldn’t help herself. The image of him and Zack was burned hot into her memory, still smoldering and smoking.

“Tifa, are you really okay?” Cloud asked.

What a question. She wanted to laugh at it, wanted to burst into tears, but she would refrain. It wouldn’t help anyone and it certainly wouldn’t do her any good to let her emotions run wild. She nodded in response, chuckled nervously, “Mhm. I’m...exhausted.” At least she could tell the truth in some sense.

Cloud seemed to buy that excuse, much to her relief. “You should go home and get some rest. Tell Barret to man the bar for a little bit.”

Tifa shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” That seemed hard to believe, but maybe she would be. Only time would tell. “Listen...Reeve wants to talk to you and I don’t want to take up too much time,” she said. “I’ll just--” Tifa hesitated, desperately searching for an out. “I’ll look forward to when you can come home.” And just like that, Tifa left the room before he could convince her to stay.

\--

Three days later and Cloud left the hospital with some assistance from Zack and Reeve. He kept in touch with Tifa, though she hadn’t said much other than she was pleased he was on his way home. They got him to his apartment, made sure he had everything he needed, and Reeve said he was just a phone call away in case something came up. Cloud assured him that wouldn’t be the case, though it was more to let Reeve know he didn’t have to wait on him hand and foot. His wound was healing much faster than any normal human, despite its severity.

Only when they were alone did Cloud allow himself to relax. He gingerly parked himself on his bed and Zack joined him. 

“Are you comfortable?” Zack asked, laying a respectable distance from Cloud, but not so far away that he would fall off the bed.

Cloud glanced at Zack and nodded. “Yeah. It hurts, but I’m fine.”

Zack reached for Cloud’s arm and stroked it gently, gave it a squeeze. “Can I see it?”

The request took Cloud by surprise. He knew exactly what Zack was talking about, and he considered it. What harm would it do to lift his shirt a little? He shifted slightly and pulled the bottom of his shirt up to expose his stomach. It took a little maneuvering, but he unwrapped the gauze there and uncovered the five-inch-long, angry purple and red scar.

“They weren’t lying. It is healing pretty fast.” Zack stared at the slightly raised skin, impressed. He examined it a bit longer before suggesting wrapping it back up, which he assisted Cloud with.

“The surgeon said any lower and I might have bled out in the tunnels,” Cloud replied, shifting back into a comfortable position. “It could have pierced an artery.”

Zack closed his eyes, heaved a heavy sigh, and rested his forehead against Cloud’s arm. “I don’t know what I would have done if that happened. Can you imagine?” He lifted his head again, stared into the blonde’s bright blue gaze. “Being brought back to life myself only to lose you after everything you’ve been through.”

Cloud craned his neck, making sure not to move his torso too much, and kissed Zack’s forehead. “I would be extremely pissed off.”

“Even in death?” 

Cloud nodded, unable to help crack a smile. “Even in death.”

Zack laughed softly, turned onto his back. He scooted a little closer to Cloud so their heads and shoulders touched. “Well, I’m glad that didn’t happen. You’re one lucky guy, you know that?”

Cloud snorted out a laugh. “Uh-huh. Whatever you say.”

“It’s true.” Zack smiled now as he stared up at the ceiling. “You have amazing friends, people who care about and would do anything for you. I’m really glad I’ve been able to be a part of that.”

The room fell silent. It hung heavily in the air as Cloud’s mind began to race. He did have plenty of friends who would risk their lives for him, but he was still doing reckless things that only brought them worry. “Tifa’s really upset about what happened,” he mused.

“I don’t blame her. She cares about you,” Zack replied.

“I know she does.” He felt a pang of guilt in his chest, in his stomach. “I’ve hurt her so much in the past. It’s a wonder why she still puts up with me.”

“That’s what love does to a person,” Zack chuckled. “But it makes sense. You’ve known her for so long…”

Cloud stopped Zack mid-sentence. “You should’ve seen her face that day she came back to the hospital. She was devastated. She was only in the room for maybe three minutes and she turned right around and left. We haven’t spoken much about what’s happened after that, but I think she’s still mad at me.”

“Do you think you should go talk to her? I mean...not now,” Zack said. “You need to rest. But maybe it would be a good idea to have a heart-to-heart.”

Cloud nodded at the suggestion. “You’re probably right.” He pulled the blanket a little higher over his chest and gripped its soft material. It felt a lot better than what the hospital provided. Now he thought about when he could do it. Early morning, perhaps. She woke typically no later than seven to ready herself and the bar. And when the kids were ready for school, she would have already been awake for an hour to see them off. There was no need for her to wake so early, but he could probably show up out of the blue and convince her to take half an hour to talk about what had happened.

“If you’re feeling okay in the morning, maybe you should do it then,” Zack said. “I can take you there since you shouldn’t be riding that bike of yours. Not yet, anyway.”

Cloud nodded. He desperately wanted to turn onto his side, hated sleeping or laying on his back for too long, but the wound site made it difficult to maneuver without pulling a tender muscle or ripping stitches. “I’ll do it tomorrow,” he said softly and he reached for Zack’s hand. He laced their fingers together when he found it and stroked the man’s hand with his thumb.

“Get some rest,” Zack said, lifting their hands to his mouth. He kissed Cloud’s knuckles and shifted onto his side. “I’ll stay right here with you.”

Cloud stared at Zack a little longer. Stared at their hands clasped together before his eyelids grew heavy with sleep, too heavy to keep open, and he drifted away. He didn’t dream much. If he did, he couldn’t remember what his dreams entailed when he woke early the next morning.

~

In any other circumstance, Cloud would have gotten out of bed without waking Zack, but the pain he felt coursed through every bit of his body when he began to move. From head to toe now, and without the kind of painkillers they had him on at the hospital, he had to manage the symptoms on his own. He woke drenched in a cold sweat, tense from shooting pain. The way he shifted in bed roused Zack from his sleep and the dark-haired man stared nervously at Cloud, asking what he could do.

He took one pill from the bottle they prescribed and downed it with a big gulp of water. Cloud forced himself to relax, to breathe, and to remind himself this was not the worst wound he had ever sustained. Having the Masamune ran through his chest would be hard to beat. When Zack asked him if he was alright, Cloud nodded and said he wanted to get up for the day. He would have to shower since he had gone a few days without being able to take a real one. Using a rag to wipe himself down in the hospital didn’t quite constitute much in the way of cleaning, after all.

With help, he made his way to the bathroom and sat on the toilet while Zack started the shower. Cloud had to be mindful of the way he moved his arms. It was something the doctor reminded him of before being discharged from the hospital, something about pulling the muscles in his torso that way, too. Zack told him to lean forward and he lifted his arms a little to get his shirt off. The pants slid down easier since they dropped practically all on their own. As embarrassing as it was, Cloud needed Zack more than he liked to admit to help wash his hair and a few other bits. He could do everything else, let the soap run down his thin frame and stand under the shower head to rinse the suds away.

They made the shower a quick one, certain to wash the important parts before Zack leaned in and cut off the water. He stood beside Cloud in case he fell and offered him a towel, helping to, again, dry off places he couldn’t reach. Zack hung the towel to dry before grabbing a set of clean clothes, which he helped Cloud into. 

“I never told you this, but…” Zack pulled the armholes of the shirt open and told Cloud to lift his arms a bit. “I did make sure you were as clean as you could be while we were on the run from Shinra. It was purely business, you know. You were always such a stickler for cleanliness when you had access to a shower, so I figured you’d appreciate it.”

Cloud watched Zack, listened to him bring up old memories he hadn’t been alert for. “I don’t think I thanked you properly for dragging me around for a year of your life,” he said and before Zack could speak, he shut him up with a kiss.

Zack practically melted against Cloud’s mouth. The gesture lingered for what felt like forever before one of them pulled back, lips smacking wetly. “Mmm...no, I don’t think you did either,” Zack hummed. A smirk pulled the corner of his lips askew. 

Cloud glanced down at Zack’s knees from where they both sat on the bed. He felt his face flush hot and red, nervous to share how he felt with the man, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t want to hold back now that his feelings were out in the open. “I can show you more properly when this thing heals,” he said just above a whisper.

Zack reached to cup his cheek, stroked it with his thumb. “I’m sure it’ll be great, but you need to take it easy right now.” They spent another few moments on the bed touching one another, holding each other close before Zack sat upright. “Let’s get you to the bar already. Are you going to tell Tifa you’re coming or do you want to surprise her?” He gingerly pulled Cloud off the edge of the bed and got him on his own two feet. 

“Let’s just go. I don’t want her to change her mind and tell me not to come,” Cloud said. He could imagine the conversation between them. Or rather it would mostly be Tifa telling him she was very busy and had a business to run, and that he needed to stop being so reckless and just relax so he could heal faster. He couldn’t afford that right now, only needed to get in the bar and get her upstairs in private so they could have a serious conversation.

~

She was surprised, as expected, to see Cloud come into the bar with Zack right behind him. Tifa was so surprised that she dropped the glass in her hand. It shattered loudly on the wooden floor, loud enough to startle everyone inside. Yuffie rushed over and came down to her knees, careful of the glass, to help clean up the bigger chunks. Once she snapped out of her daze, Tifa blinked and went for the broom and dust pan.

“Tifa,” Cloud started, watching as she nervously focused on her task. 

“I’m sorry,” Tifa blurted out. “I didn’t mean to. You just...I wasn’t expecting you to--”

“It’s okay, Tifa. I got it,” Yuffie said. She took the broom and dustpan from her and told Tifa to take it easy. 

Although reluctant, she nodded and stepped out from behind the bar. “What are you two doing here?” Tifa asked.

Cloud and Zack shared a knowing look, remembering their conversation from before in his apartment. He had to admit he was reluctant himself, but Cloud knew he had no choice. It seemed even now she was nervous around him, but that made little sense. She never acted that way, not even when they fought. Or rather, when Tifa was angry with him and talking his ear off and rightly so.

“Can we talk somewhere in private?” Cloud approached her, gingerly moving as his stomach was still sore.

She stared at him, glanced at Zack from over Cloud’s shoulder, and cleared the frog from her throat. “Uh...sure.” Tifa motioned with her thumb to the stairs and moved slowly so as not to pressure him to walk too fast.

Tifa brought them into her bedroom and shut the door behind them. Instead of sitting, she opted to stand and clasped her hands behind her back. “So…” She avoided holding his gaze for too long.

“I’m sorry I haven’t reached out to you sooner,” Cloud said once he settled at the edge of her bed. 

Tifa shook her head. “No, I’ve been pretty quiet myself.” She shrugged, thinking. He could see it in her eyes. “Just...trying to get back to normal.”

Cloud nodded. He felt a different kind of pain in his stomach. Something, unbeknownst to him, had pulled them apart and it was not like the other times. Maybe this was the straw that broke the camel’s back for her. Maybe she had had enough of him promising one thing and giving another. 

“Look, Tifa...I’m really sorry about what happened,” Cloud continued. “I know you’re always worrying about me, and I just go and make it even worse.” He kept on when she said nothing. “You’ve always been there for me, supported me, and I just...take advantage of that.” Now he was the one rambling, like they had traded places. It felt odd to watch her stand and stare at him. She could have had no idea what he was talking about, if he had to guess by the look on her face.

At one point, the silence between them grew awkward and Tifa could sense that, too, but she took her time responding. “I know you’re sorry,” she said, tone meek. “I’m sorry, too.”

He cocked his head a little. “What for?”

Tifa settled against the dresser by the window and let out a soft sigh. She took time to think about what she wanted to say before opening her mouth. “I, um...went to the hospital that day we came to visit, after your first night there.” He could’ve sworn he could see her cheeks flush bright red in the shadows of the dimly lit room. “I couldn’t sleep at all that night. I was just...tossing and turning. So I got out of bed and tried to do some busy work prepping the bar, but it didn’t help. I went there and, um...I was going to walk into the room when I saw Zack sitting by your bed through the little window.”

His mind raced back to that moment, trying to remember exactly what they had been doing, and nothing came to mind right away until it hit him a few seconds later. “Oh,” was all Cloud could say.

Tifa closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath through her nose, and let it out. “I didn’t stick around much longer,” she said. “When I saw you guys kissing, I just...I kind of broke apart. I had to get out of there.” 

Cloud could see her eyes glisten with a thin film of tears. All he wanted to do was hug her, but he knew if he moved too fast he would hurt himself. “Tifa, I am so sorry.”

She shook her head, gathered her strength. “No. Don’t do that. Please. You have nothing to apologize for.”

Despite his better judgment, he stood gingerly from the bed and moved a little closer. “But I do.” He didn’t know how to proceed. Making excuses seemed a silly thing to do at this point. She had seen them share an intimate moment together and there was no taking that back. When Tifa said nothing more, Cloud took it as his chance to, at the very least, give her an explanation. “I’ve always loved him.” He shrugged, finally admitting it even to himself. “I mean...he was nice when we first met, but I was just a stupid kid with big dreams of becoming like Sephiroth.

You and I both know that was never going to happen, but I found it out the hard way and...well, Zack was just right there. He was always there for me if I needed anything. Even though we couldn’t always spend time together, we did hang out when he wasn’t on assignment or training the troops.”

“Cloud--” Tifa tried to stop him, but he kept going, like vomit spewing from his mouth.

“I didn’t think he felt the same way because sometimes he would talk about this girl he met in the city. He’d go on and on about her and how he wanted to take her to meet his parents one day.” Cloud winced inwardly knowing it was Aerith Zack gushed to him about. “It was good that he found someone he liked and I just put my feelings aside. Then all of that stuff that happened in Nibelheim, everything with Hojo and running from Shinra, Zack dying...it messed everything up. But I never once thought I would be in this situation, and I still love you so much--”

“Cloud,” Tifa said a little louder this time. “Stop it.” He snapped his mouth shut and stared at her. Tifa had wrapped her arms around herself now, looking like she might actually vomit. “You don’t have to explain it to me.” She stroked her arm with her hand, maybe trying to comfort herself. Cloud wasn’t sure. “I’m not mad,” she said. “I’m disappointed, sure, but I’m not mad at you. If anything, I’m mad at myself for thinking things would be different between us. That has nothing to do with you, though. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not like we’re together anymore.” Tifa let out a nervous, strangled laugh.

Despite her telling him not to move around too much, Cloud closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t hug her too tight, even turned his torso slightly to the side so as not to press directly against his stomach. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered and kissed her forehead. She didn’t cry. Didn’t make much of a peep. Maybe she had cried enough in the time since they last saw one another and had no more tears left to spill. She didn’t pull away from him either, just gently gripped the sides of his shirt.

“I know you’ve been through a lot,” Tifa said after a long moment of silence between them. “We all have.” She chuckled nervously again with little humor behind it. “I wasn’t going to say anything about what I saw, but these past few days have been hard. And when I started thinking about the next time we’d see one another, I knew it was impossible to hide how I was feeling. You would have found out one way or another.”

Cloud stroked his hand up and down her back, slowly moving his palm along the length of her spine. He hadn’t lied when he said he still loved her. He did, very much so. But he had to be honest with himself knowing it was Zack he wanted, having been granted a second chance with the man.

“The only thing I want is for you to be happy,” Tifa said. “It’s been so hard watching you float through life knowing there is something weighing you down so heavily. I want to take that away from you, if I can, but I know I can’t. I’m not the person who’s going to be able to do that and I have to accept the fact.”

“Tifa, you’ve helped me more than I can even begin to say,” Cloud replied. “I’ll always be indebted to you.”

“Yeah.” She lifted her head away from his chest and stared into his eyes, “but not entirely. A little, maybe, but I know now that I’m not the one who’s going to save you.” Tifa let out a sigh and pulled back, careful not to touch him in a way that might exacerbate the pain he felt. She wiped her face even though no tears had rolled down her cheeks. “It might not be Zack either. I can just tell he makes you happy. Feel kinda silly for not seeing it before.”

As much as he wanted to explain himself, Cloud knew they were past that point. They were so far away from it now that regressing back to anything but this moment might just make things between them even worse. Both of them stood in the silent room, both worked their minds about what to say or do and nothing seemed to fit the moment. Their eyes met again, so many thoughts, so many words, so many memories between them.

“You should be resting,” Tifa said, breaking the silence.

Cloud hesitated, looked around the room for no reason in particular. 

“We don’t need to talk about this anymore. It’s water under the bridge,” she told him. He could tell she was trying to keep herself together and it pained Cloud to watch, but he couldn’t push this particular circumstance. Not unless he wanted to break her even more.

Cloud slowly but surely made his way to the door. He lingered there for a moment, turned back to watch her where she stood near the dresser.

“Will you tell Yuffie I’ll be down in a minute? I just...I need a second,” Tifa said.

Cloud nodded and reached for the knob. He quietly excused himself and shut the door behind him, lingering in the hall for a moment. He could only thank the gods above that the kids weren’t home. Cloud didn’t think he could handle their excitement since they hadn’t seen him yet.

Once downstairs again, Cloud passed along Tifa’s message. Neither lingered long enough for Yuffie to start asking questions. She looked like she wanted to ask a zillion of them with her inquisitive nature, but Zack followed Cloud out of the bar and slipped onto the bike.

“Everything okay?” Zack peered at the blonde from over his shoulder. 

“I’ll tell you about it when we get back to my place,” Cloud said. “I just want to go home.”

He knew he had made himself clear enough. Zack didn’t question him any further, only revved Fenrir’s engine and took off down the street at a reasonable pace, something easy enough that Cloud could handle without putting too much effort into holding on.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for not updating this in a while. I've hit a brick wall at high speeds and am trying to wade through the mess. I haven't given up yet, but anxiety and depression are a bitch to the process. I appreciate everyone who's commented and left kudos thus far! And I hope y'all stick with it.

“She knows about us.” Zack turned to face Cloud, gaze curious. Cloud shut the front door in their wake and engaged both locks before turning back to the dark-haired man. It was cold in his apartment, dusty, even. An air of unlived in lingered about the place. After all, the hospital had been his temporary home while he recovered enough for the doctor to discharge him.

“Knows about what?” Zack asked. He got the hint when Cloud wrapped his arms around himself and adjusted the thermostat to a warmer temperature.

“Tifa saw us kiss in the hospital the day after they brought me there.” Cloud moved to the couch and sat down, careful not to move too fast. While his wound was healing quicker than any regular human, he knew he had to be mindful of how he moved his body. He wasn’t indestructible. The amount of times he had come close to death made his guts turn just thinking about it. “Remember that morning when everyone came to visit me in the hospital? She didn’t say much then, but she didn’t stick around long enough to. I knew something was wrong. I just thought it was because I had upset her over getting myself hurt really badly for the thousandth time.”

Zack sat next to Cloud. Their legs brushed as he reached around the blonde to stroke his back, moving his hand up and down at a steady pace. “Was she angry?”

Cloud shrugged. “I wouldn’t call it angry. Sad, maybe; disappointed. She told me I had nothing to be sorry for. That she was more upset with herself than with me, probably for thinking we would get back together.” He leaned forward, propped his elbows on his knees, and pressed his face into his hands. Cloud rubbed his tired eyes, ran his hands up and down his face to release the tension in his muscles. “The look on her face...” Cloud shook his head. “It devastated her, Zack. And having to say it outright made it even worse. No doubt she hates me.”

“How could she hate you?” Zack asked. A frown pulled at his brow. “She loves you, Cloud. And, yeah…she might still be  _ in _ love with you, but you aren’t together anymore. It sounds like she knows and accepts that.”

“Yeah, she said as much,” Cloud muttered.

Zack drew his hand back. “Just because she acknowledges the fact doesn’t mean it’s going to hurt any less. You’ve known each other for a long time. Hell, I always figured you’d end up together after all the things you told me about her. This is going to be hard for the both of you, but you can’t let that guilt eat you up. Unless there’s something I’m missing, it sounds like you two have already resolved things.”

Cloud hesitated to answer. Had they truly resolved the relationship between them? He stood again, moved around the room, feeling the need to walk even at a dawdling pace. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

"Sometimes--” Cloud paused, turning the question over in his mind. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to Zack about this. Maybe it was getting too personal. The words came out of his mouth anyway. “Now and then, we would sleep in the same bed together after I ran a few jobs, and I didn’t want to come back here. I still had a room at the bar, but I would end up in Tifa’s bed.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Zack said.

“And we’d kiss,” Cloud added. “And have sex.” His face flushed. How could he say these things to Zack? How could Zack hear them and not be jealous? “Not a lot, and not… the second thing, more of the first. She just… Tifa is someone I can depend on—you see that. But after I told her we couldn’t be together anymore, after I told her I couldn’t be what she needed, it broke her heart. I’m sure this was the last nail in the coffin.”

“That’s okay.” Zack stood, stopped Cloud from pacing when he firmly took hold of his shoulders. “I’m not telling you not to feel bad about this. I know it hurts and I know it will be awkward for a time, but you have to be sure this is what you want.”

“This?” Cloud glanced up into Zack’s bright blue gaze. He stared at him with that look of his, a look of determination, of anticipation. As much as Zack had changed since he had been back, he was still very much the same person he used to be, and it was a tremendous comfort in such times of uncertainty.

Zack nodded. “With me.” He loosened his grip and stroked Cloud’s arms. “Is it? What you want, I mean. Knowing your relationship with Tifa has to make things harder. You and I haven’t known each other for that long.”

“Of course it is,” Cloud answered, needing no time to think. “I—” He caught himself before he could spill his heart out like he had with Tifa. Zack didn’t need to know how he felt about him just yet. All in due time.

“Then I do, too.” Zack wrapped his arms around Cloud, mindful of his wound, but he hugged him firmly. The doctor’s had told him he needed to be careful in the next week while his body took time to mend itself. “I’m really sorry you’re going through this, Cloud. Don’t you ever think I don’t respect the fact that Tifa still loves you. She’s a good woman and I like her a lot. The last thing I want to do is get on her bad side.”

Cloud slipped his arms around Zack’s slender waist. His hair had grown so long since before everything changed, since the last time he had seen him up on that muddy cliff the day he died. It touched the small of his back now, just above his backside, and Cloud’s fingers slipped through it as he grabbed the back of the other’s shirt. He rested his head against Zack’s broad chest, feeling each steady breath. With the height difference between them, it was easy to nestle himself under the man’s chin and he assumed he would find himself in that position a lot in the coming days.

They lingered in the middle of the living room a moment longer, bodies pressed together while they took comfort in each other’s arms, and Zack moved his hand up and down the length of Cloud’s spine. He pulled back when he felt his knees shake with the effort of standing up longer than he should have. “I need to lie down,” Cloud said, voice soft. Zack noticed this bout of weakness.

“Can I get you anything to eat? The doctor said you need to eat to maintain your energy,” Zack reminded him. He continued before Cloud could get out a word in protest. “I’ll make soup. Go change out of those clothes and I’ll bring it to you.”

Cloud obliged, knowing he wouldn’t get far given Zack’s insistence. He took one last look at the man as he moved about in the kitchen, leaning down to reach for a pot to cook the soup in, before heading into the bedroom. It was colder back there than in the front room, cold enough for Cloud to wrap his arms around himself, cold enough for goosebumps to freckle his skin. The blonde hairs on his arms stood up even as he reached to adjust the vent on the wall near the ceiling. He winced and gasped at the sharp pain in his stomach, but it was the black feather, no longer than a pencil, that floated gracefully down from inside the vent that sent him stumbling back and onto the bed.

“Zack?” Cloud yelped. He gripped his chest over the wound and panted heavily. “Zack!”

Zack ran into the room, eyes wide. “What happened? Did you fall?” He rushed to the bed and practically slid over the top of it before settling.

“The vent,” Cloud said, voice trembling as he pointed to the floor. “I saw it. He’s here. He’s in the apartment!”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a second.” Zack shifted and helped Cloud sit upright. “Who’s here? What are you talking about?”

Once Cloud could see the floor now that he was sitting, his eyes darted left to right, searching for the feather, but he couldn’t see anything down there. “I saw it,” he insisted. “It was  _ right there. _ ”

“What was?”

“The feather!” Cloud winced. He really needed to stop hurting himself.

“What feather?” Zack looked down at the floor, wondering what Cloud was going on about. No doubt he sounded like a raving lunatic. “I don’t see a feather.” Zack briefly climbed off the bed, even checked under it, to no avail. He came upright again and stood on his knees. “Maybe a bird got caught in the vent or something. Are you sure you saw it? There’s nothing under there.” Cloud latched onto him when he climbed back onto the bed, despite wincing from pain with his quick movements. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Cloud lifted his head a little and looked at Zack. He was going to think he was crazy. Why had he said anything in the first place? He was acting like a damn child, for goodness’ sake, latching onto his lover for protection. Cloud nuzzled Zack’s neck again and sighed. He took his time thinking about how he wanted to phrase his words, if he even wanted to explain anything at all.

“It’s Sephiroth,” Cloud said.

Zack’s grip on him tightened ever so slightly. “What about him?”

“Every time he…” Cloud sighed. “Every time he was near, this...black feather would float from the sky. I don’t understand, though. He hasn’t shown up in a long time. I thought he was gone for good.”

“Maybe he, maybe he isn’t,” Zack offered. “Maybe this stuff with Holt is bringing up those bad memories. This has been rough for all of us, but you were the one who went down there to deal with my business.”

“It’s all our business,” Cloud said. “Just because he did those things to you doesn’t mean they only affect you.”

“You didn’t see Sephiroth down there in the ruins, did you? Are you telling me the truth about everything?” Zack asked.

Cloud nodded. “I am. I only saw Holt. Sephiroth never showed himself in front of me. It’s been a while since I’ve had to confront him.”

Zack held Cloud for a long time, long enough that he gasped when he realized he had forgotten something. “The soup!” he yelped. “Shit. I need to take it off the stove. Are you going to be okay in here until I bring it in?”

Cloud shifted upright, away from Zack. “Yeah, I think so. I’m sorry I scared you.”

Zack climbed off the bed, but leaned in briefly to kiss the top of Cloud’s fluffy blonde spikes. “Don’t be. Just take it easy for a few. I’m gonna bring the soup in. You want crackers? I’ll make sure you get some crackers. And water, too. Okay, don’t go anywhere,” he said as he made his way out of the bedroom.

\--

“We’ve been at it for days!” Reno whined. He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head, stretching his arms and his shoulders. “Can’t we take a break already?”

“You could.” Tseng shifted back in his chair, too, steepled his fingers and pressed them against his lips. “But then you would have to explain to Rufus why you’ve abandoned this very crucial task of retrieving the research we’ve been after all this time.”

Reno grumbled to himself, something incomprehensible, but probably better for all of them that they couldn’t understand his words.

“I’ve come across something of interest,” Elena said. Tseng stood from his chair and moved to stand behind her, gripped one hand on the back of her chair for support as he leaned in. “If you look at the imagery from the day they escaped the ruins, right after the fight broke out, you’ll see some movement right--” She hit the spacebar on her keyboard, moving frame by frame now “--here.” Elena pointed one well-manicured white tipped nail at the screen. “See that white spot? I assume that’s Holt since the heat specs on the creatures differ a little in comparison with humans. The other ones that follow,” tap, tap, tap, “look like the creatures. They all spill out of the entryway we blew into the rubble, but they disappear as they disperse. Like, literally disappear. The heat signatures vanish. The funny thing is, you can’t really tell which one is Holt and which one is the creature. It’s all sort of muddled.”

“And this?” Tseng pointed to the left of the screen. “What is this?”

“That could be Holt,” Elena said. “But it would show that he’s no longer radiating any body heat.”

“Then he’s dead?” Reno asked.

Elena shrugged. “Possibly. We’ve seen weirder things.”

Tseng stood upright, pressed one thoughtful finger to his lips as he tucked his other arm around his chest. “Perhaps he’s experimented on himself this time. He’s already claimed Zack a failure, and the autopsy on his wife revealed she had been experimented on as well.”

“He mentioned turning his sights to Cloud,” Rude said. “Maybe he’s attempting to do the same with him, if he truly differs from the rest.”

“If Holt is dead, then how the hell did he reanimate himself? And in what capacity?” Reno asked. “Sephiroth wasn’t technically alive, but I find it hard to believe Holt can harness the power you’d need to clone yourself. If we have to deal with another psychopath wielding the power of Jenova, then I’m out.”

“No, I don’t believe he does,” Tseng agreed. “But it makes sense he would want to lure Cloud in after everything he’s done. He’s very predictable, not just in his personal actions. I can only imagine the temptation he feels to the bottom of his core.”

Elena turned in her chair to look up at Tseng. “Do you think he would want to risk it now that Zack has returned? That is, if he has any real choice in the matter. If we’re talking about his altered DNA, then he may not.”

“He’s already proven he will jump at the chance to take care of a threat, whether it is Sephiroth or not,” Tseng said. “If Holt could find a way to--”

“Find a way to what?” Everyone turned their heads to Rufus as he strode into the room. 

Tseng stood at attention and bowed. “Forgive us, sir. We were just discussing the satellite imagery. We may have picked up on Holt’s scent.”

“Are you certain of this?” Rufus asked.

“No, but it is very possible he is still nearby. We need to examine more footage for confirmation,” Tseng explained. “There is a lot.”

Rufus hummed, nodded. “I have a feeling he is long gone from the ruins. It wouldn’t make sense for him to stay. None of the labs are in reasonable condition for use. Besides, you all heard the recordings. Holt wants Cloud for his little science experiments and not Zack. It sounds as though he has bigger ambitions.”

“Both Cloud and Zack were experimented on, injected with the same Jenova cells. Both were deemed failures,” Elena said. “Why would he run back to Edge and risk capture now that he knows he wants someone else?”

“The one thing we still do not know about Sephiroth and his death is whether he was controlling Jenova or vice versa. Maybe it was a little of both, but I feel it’s reasonable to assume they were using one another for their own gain,” Rufus said. He leaned against Tseng’s desk, crossed his arms over his chest. “How many times has Sephiroth tried to reunite himself with Jenova’s DNA? And in that case, how many times was he successful?”

“You don’t actually think that’s what this is, do you?” Reno said. “We haven’t heard a peep from that maniac, not for a long time, and it sounded like last time he tried to conjure up some clones that it might’ve taken too much effort. It doesn’t add up to me. Why now?”

“Because someone took the existing data and thought they could do better,” Rufus said simply. “Hojo made no significant impact, and not just on Cloud or Zack, but all of his other experiments. I’m talking Angeal, Genesis, and whoever else he conjured up in that lab of his. Even if he deemed Sephiroth a success, the man failed to reunite Jenova’s DNA in the end. We’re still here and Sephiroth is rotting in the Northern Crater for all we know.”

“He might not be rotting, exactly,” Tseng offered. “But I understand the notion. It still doesn’t make sense why Holt decided that now was the best time to pick up Hojo’s research. He must have come across some very convincing evidence that he could improve upon it.”

Rufus hummed, thinking. He turned the question over in his head for a moment. “Zack Fair was supposed to die out in that desert. When Heidegger ordered his assassination, that should have been the end. Since it’s obviously not, perhaps Holt finally found what he was looking for. Or rather, what he thought he was looking for. Both of Hojo’s test subjects were supposed to die that day. It wasn’t until we found out that Cloud had joined AVALANCHE that Hojo ever realized it. That would have included Holt, given he was assisting Hojo at the time. How else would he have been able to track down a subject who went through those experiments?”

“Do we know who was aware of Zack’s existence after he was retrieved?” Tseng asked.

“That is something I would have to ask Reeve, and I am not interested in digging that deep,” Rufus replied.

“Regardless of who knew what, Holt is still out there. If we do not find him, we can only hope that Reeve does. And with Cloud out of commission, given Holt’s elusiveness, it’s very unlikely he will track him down easily,” Tseng said.

Rufus snorted. “Well, he has a healthy replacement First Class SOLDIER now.”

Tseng frowned at that. “You mean Zack Fair? Reeve has plenty of other SOLDIERS at his disposal. When was the last time Zack fought in any capacity? Up on the cliff, if I recall from reading the report. That was a few years ago.”

“Yes, but you have seen him lately. He looks to be in better shape than ever. Who knows, maybe he’s still training. It doesn’t matter, anyway. What does matter is that Reeve doesn’t have the SOLDIERS with the experience that Cloud  _ and _ Zack do. It would be suicide to send out a team to deal with this man. It’s not just him they’re after now. He seems to have some sort of control over these creatures,” Rufus countered. He stood from Tseng’s desk, pushed his shoulders back a bit as he straightened his spine.

“Would Reeve even let Zack get involved at this point?” Tseng asked.

“We shall see.” Rufus made his way to the door. “Tseng, may we speak in the hall?” he asked and slipped out of the office without another word.

Tseng took the hint and excused himself. He followed Rufus a little ways away from the door so they could speak in private, though no one else was there besides them in the lodge where they had been operating from for a few years now.

“I would like you to get in touch with an old contact of mine,” Rufus said. He fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Tseng. It was folded, but he didn’t open it just yet. 

“Sir?”

Rufus rolled his eyes, clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “You know I don’t like it when you call me that in private.”

“My apologies…” Tseng struggled to correct himself in the moment, even flushed a bit in the soft overhead lighting. “Rufus.”

The blonde reached out and smoothed his hand over the lapel of Tseng’s blazer. “Better, but we must work on it. In any case, you might remember this man from my younger days. I figure with a situation like this, it couldn’t hurt to have an extra pair of eyes and ears. And since I’m no longer the president of my own  _ company _ ,” he grumbled, “we won’t be looked down upon for using more...unconventional means.”

Tseng opened the paper to read the name, but kept a neutral expression across his face as he was quite good at doing. “Do you really feel this is necessary?” he asked, meeting Rufus’s gaze. “This man couldn’t even be called a bounty hunter, as it implies he would bring the bounty back alive.”

“Do not get me wrong, Tseng. I don’t doubt you can do your job, but we don’t have the resources we used to when Shinra was under my control.” Rufus shrugged one shoulder. It didn’t seem to matter much to him anymore, and they had already had discussions together about how he felt no longer being president. As much as he hated it, Rufus had admitted it was rather freeing. “Contact him and see if he is interested. It can’t hurt to have a little more reach...so long as I get what I’m after. Whether he brings Holt to me dead or alive is another thing. I simply want my research back.”

Tseng moved to bow, but Rufus put his hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he stood up straight. 

“Stop that, too. Goodness, do I have to help you relearn how to be a normal human being?” Rufus teased.

“I am not a normal person,” Tseng reminded him; the ghost of a smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. “I have you to thank for that.”

Rufus let out a chuckle, shook his head. “Tell me when you’ve made contact,” he said. “I look forward to locking that research up where it belongs. I might even just burn it at this point. It’s no longer worth preserving after all that’s happened. He gave Tseng one last once over before reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “Your strings are showing.” He smiled and turned away, disappeared down the hall when he turned the corner.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies that the updates have been slowing down. Still struggling with some physical and mental health issues, but I'm still trying to write even if it's on paper with pen.

**\--**

**Chapter Seventeen**

He hoped she would be the only one there, seeing as how it was still early enough in the morning that everyone else might still be asleep, but not too early that  _ she _ would be. Even in one of the busiest cities on the planet, not too many people roamed the streets at that hour. It was probably why, much to his surprise, the front door of the Seventh Heaven was left unlocked.

Zack turned the knob and stepped in quietly. Heavy boots thumped gently against the wooden floorboard despite his effort not to make noise. When his eyes adjusted from the bright morning light of the overcast skies outside to the dimly lit bar, Zack spotted the very person he had come to see. Tifa leaned over the counter as she wiped the bar down with a rag, probably disinfecting it for the day’s business. She glanced up at him with wide eyes, but said nothing. Zack could tell she knew why he was there. Or maybe she had no clue and thought he had come bearing bad news about Cloud. Either way, he had to say something to quell that nervous look.

Zack nervously cleared his throat as he approached the bar at an unhurried pace. A chill ghosted over his skin even under the rolled up long-sleeved shirt he had put on that morning after having spent the night at Cloud’s yet again. “Morning,” he said, forcing a smile, but it felt awkward on his lips so he lost it quick. “I’m not, uh… interrupting anything, am I?” He glanced left and right, saw nothing much going on but the normal prep work.

“No,” Tifa said. She stopped wiping the bar and stood as stiff as a board behind it. “What are you doing here?” Her voice wavered with hesitation, maybe. Fear. It was hard to tell. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was something entirely different. “Is Cloud okay? How is he doing?”

“Cloud’s good,” Zack replied. He left him in the apartment earlier so as not to wake him. Despite his steady recovery, he still needed to rest and relax his body as much as possible. For any normal human being, the injury he had sustained would have surely been a death sentence. Cloud’s body, however, seemed able to endure a frighteningly high amount of abuse. “I didn’t come here to talk about him, though. Well—” Zack stopped himself, gathered his thoughts, and mentally kicked himself in the pants. “It is. Sort of.” The silence between them was palpable. One could have cut through it even with the Buster Sword. “Can we talk somewhere in private?” He didn’t want to have to explain why, but the possibility things might become emotional unnerved him, and the last thing he wanted was for her to cry or get upset.

Tifa nodded, though reluctantly, and led them upstairs to what he could only assume was her bedroom. Compared to Cloud’s more utilitarian decor, Zack might’ve thought he was in a nice little motel room. There were pictures of the kids, of all of them together, and then one of her and Cloud. He could even detect the ghost of a smile across his lips while his head rested against the side of hers. It mirrored the picture next to it on top of the waist-high dresser, although that one was of her when she was much younger and with a group of friends in what looked like Nibelheim.

She closed the door behind them and moved to the windowsill where she leaned against the bottom frame. A small potted plant sat in the corner of it, one she clearly loved and watered as it bloomed beautifully. Tifa hugged herself, waiting for Zack to say something, but even he struggled to figure out where to start.  _ I’m having an intimate relationship with your ex-boyfriend and I want to talk about it so things aren’t awkward between us, _ just felt so arrogant.

“Cloud told me about what happened in the hospital,” Zack said. He stood in the middle of the room instead of sitting or leaning against something like Tifa had done. It didn’t feel right to get that comfortable, not considering the conversation they were about to have. “He told me you saw us, uh…” He nervously cleared his throat again, felt like there was a frog inside. “Kissing.” The last word came out muttered.

He could have sworn he saw her wince, but her face made no movement. In fact, Tifa hid her feelings rather well. “I see,” she said, voice soft to where he could hardly hear her. Tifa nodded, probably thinking of a way to respond to this very awkward situation between them. “I’m not mad at you, if that’s what you’re worried about. Cloud and I already talked about this.”

“I know you did, but I felt like we needed to talk about it, too. That’s why I’m here. I just feel like it’d be really rude not to come talk to you myself,” Zack explained. He let out a shaky sigh. Boy, this was harder than he thought it would be. Zack ran his hand through his hair, pushed it out of his face. It was so much longer now, longer than any length he’d had it before, almost to the end of his shoulder blades.

“You don’t have to make excuses, Zack. Cloud and I aren’t a couple anymore.” A chuckle escaped her throat, but it wasn’t one of humor. “I know that. I’ve known it for a while now, even before we broke things off. He wasn’t happy in the relationship, no matter how much I wanted him to be. I wanted to be his savior,” Tifa admitted. “I wanted to be the one to take all of that pain away because I know how much he struggles.” She shrugged. He could see her mind working overtime. “I’m not going to lie, though. It hurt. It hurt to see you two like that and it hurts now to think about it, but it would be selfish of me to hold a grudge over something like this.” She nodded as if to affirm her thoughts. “What matters to me is that Cloud is happy. Nothing should get in the way of that.”

“Tifa—”

“Zack,” she interrupted. “He watched you die. Do you know how badly that messed with his mind? I don’t know if he’s told you what happened to him once he got to Midgar, but it wasn’t very good. It wasn’t just about Sephiroth and everything else. Your death has had one of the biggest impact on his life. He became a different person because of it.” She paused, voice going cold. “He wasn’t the Cloud I knew anymore when I found him at the train station.”

Even Cloud had confirmed that in so many words. It was chilling to hear it from her mouth, though. More silence. It dragged on a little longer before either one of them spoke. “You’re an amazing person, Tifa,” Zack said. That caught her attention. She stared at him. Curious, maybe. “You’ve known Cloud so much longer than I have, and yet all you do is support him. None of this...what you’ve all been through...none of it could’ve been easy.” Now Zack sat down. He parked himself on the foot of her bed, feeling like he might pace back and forth if he wasn’t sitting. “I wanted to be there for him, for you. After what happened in Nibelheim, the last thing I wanted was for Cloud to get to the city on his own.”

“But you got him out,” Tifa said. “You got him as far as you could. You got him back to me.”

“A shell of himself, sure. If I had got us out faster or gotten off the continent, maybe he wouldn’t have been this way. Maybe…” He didn’t want to say it, but the words spewed from his mouth like vomit. “Maybe Aerith would still be alive. Maybe I wouldn’t be doing this to you--”

“Doing what to me?”

Zack stared up at Tifa and searched his mind for the right word.  _ Stealing _ ? That seemed harsh. He hadn’t stolen Cloud from her. Cloud wasn’t anyone’s to steal. He was perfectly capable of making the decision himself, and Zack just so happened to be his choice.

“I don’t know.” Zack shrugged this time. 

“You aren’t doing anything. Cloud loves you, alright? He never stopped loving you. I knew there was more to it even if he never told me outright. He had no reason to. I wouldn’t want to dwell on something like that either if I were in his shoes. But the circumstances are different now that you’re back. Those cards are on the table again and that is something I’m going to have to accept no matter how much it hurts.”

Tifa pushed away from the windowsill and moved to sit next to Zack on her bed. “I will be fine,” she told him. “Cloud will always be my friend. We will always love each other.” She put her hand on his forearm, gave it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. “And I am  _ so _ glad that you could come back to us. It means that Cloud can finally let go of the guilt he carries. He can have the happiness he deserves.”

Zack stared down at her delicate hand, her slender fingers and neatly polished fingernails. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Tifa shook her head. “Don’t do that.”

“I guess that’s really what I wanted to say.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

“It’s a little too late for that now.” Zack chuckled softly and put his hand over hers. He pat it gently, letting it linger for a moment before pulling it away. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Tifa asked.

“Taking such good care of him. Cloud is...really very lucky to have so many people who love and care for him. It was kind of a trip to meet everyone and see how many people stand behind him. Things have changed so much since I’ve been gone.”

Tifa nodded in agreement. “They have, but you can be a part of it now.” She paused, stared down at the floorboards. “I don’t want this to drive a wedge between us, you know. You’re our family now.”

Zack glanced at Tifa. He couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at the corners of his lips. “I’d like that.” Seeing as how he had lost nearly everyone he knew, aside from his parents, it felt nice to know he had others he could depend on. Angeal, Sephiroth, Aerith… He pushed away the nasty thoughts that crept their way into his head. They were temporary, fleeting. Now, he had Tifa and Cloud and everyone else, a new family, and that warmed his heart. 

“I’m sure this has been really hard for you...waking up to a new city and finding out everything’s different,” Tifa said softly. 

“No,” Zack said, letting out a heavy sigh, “it hasn’t been, but it is easier knowing you have people who care about you.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I came here to talk to you about all this, and here you are comforting me. I should be the one groveling at your feet.”

Tifa didn’t laugh or smile at that. She didn’t seem upset either, but her reaction was confusing. “I’m fine, Zack,” she said again, tone firm this time. He caught on quickly and realized he needed to stop pushing this desire to apologize. 

_ Just accept it and move on. She’s a big girl. She can handle herself, _ Zack told himself. He opened his mouth to say something when the door opened, and Marlene and Denzel rushed into the room to jump on Tifa’s bed.

“Tifa, we’re going to schoo--!” Marlene jumped onto her knees and sat up straight when she realized Zack was in the room on the bed, too. “Oh.”

“It’s okay, Marlene,” Tifa said as she stood up. Zack followed suit but didn’t say anything. He just smiled softly at the kids, feeling a little out of place. “Uncle Zack and I were just having a chat.”

“Where is Cloud?” Marlene asked, looking between the two.

“Oh, uh…” Zack reached up to scratch the back of his neck. Uncle Zack? That was a new one. He never thought he’d be called an uncle at any point in his life, given he was an only child. “Cloud is at home resting.” He smiled nervously. “Yeah. He’s getting a lot better, but the doctor’s want him to take it easy so he’s sleeping right now.”

“Can we visit him again soon?” the girl asked. “We haven’t seen him in a while and Denzel and I were just talking about how we miss him.” Denzel leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. The boy was starting to remind them of Cloud every day.

“Sure we can.” Tifa smiled and winked at Marlene. “But for now he has to rest and relax, like Zack said. Maybe he’ll feel okay enough to come over and play with you guys.”

Marlene lit up at the prospect. She jumped off the bed and straightened her backpack on her shoulders. “Okay. We just wanted to say bye before we go to school.” She smirked when Tifa ruffled her hair a little and the two children left the room as quickly as they had come in. 

Tifa waited for the thumping of shoes and happy voices to fade out the front door to speak again. “You should go check on Cloud,” she said. “I kind of don’t like the idea of him being alone when he’s injured.”

Zack got the hint. She wanted some time alone, and that was fair. Had he been in her position, he might’ve felt the same way, might’ve even responded differently to this conversation. “I will.” He moved to the bedroom door, grabbed the knob, but hesitated. “I’ll get him over here, soon. I can see the kids miss him.” It was easier to use them as a scapegoat rather than to admit she would need to see Cloud again, but this, too, would pass. 

\--

He didn’t quite find his way back to Cloud’s apartment after leaving the Seventh Heaven. Zack wound up at his own place, feeling the urge to rummage through the box of personal possessions he had been given back at the hospital after they discharged him. Zack sat in his bedroom on the floor, cross-legged, and read one of the few pieces of paper they found on him. Apparently, he had written things here and there when he could get his hands on some paper and pencil, which was sparingly. 

_ Cloud and I made it to some rinky dink town in Gaia knows where. Come to think of it, I don’t recall seeing even so much as a welcome sign. This place reminds me of those hamlets you’d read about in those medieval stories your parents would read to you when you were little. You know, when the lone rider strides into town on his Chocobo. Who am I even writing this to? I hope no one sees this. Anyway, we’ve been on the road for approximately seven months now, I think, but it feels like we’re only ever one step ahead of those Shinra goons and the Turks.  _

_ I even spotted one of them in the city before we made our way out here. Good thing people hate them just as much as I do. They’d gladly tell a lie if it meant getting Shinra off their backs and out of their town. This lady, though. We lucked out. She told me her husband used to work for Shinra. Military intelligence. Hard working, clean record. Ended up dying in a freak accident at a mako storage facility. She was sure they covered it up, but said he had died for a noble cause and paid her for the trouble. She found out he had been replaced the very next day. I can’t imagine what that feels like, despite what I’ve been through. What we’ve been through… _

_ Speaking of we...Cloud is still pretty out of it. He’ll mumble sometimes, but it’s not coherent and it’s few and far between. It’s been difficult to get him to eat, but I found this food he’ll take down easily enough. It’s hell trying to get food in myself and he’s so thin already. I don’t understand how he doesn’t just shrink up and disappear. Maybe it’s the mako poisoning. Maybe it’s something else. Either way, I have to get us to the city. There will be more places to hide and less a chance that Shinra will find us. Besides, knowing right where the enemy is will make keeping an eye on them instead of us a lot easier. _

_ Maybe once we get to Midgar, we could find a way to get out again and off the continent. We could go some place far away where Shinra wouldn’t be snooping around. The bottom line is that we’ve got a long road ahead of us. There’s too much eating away at my mind for me to get a good night’s rest, but I should at least try, for both our sake. We’re not there just yet. _

Zack shuffled through the papers a little deeper, finding another note from a few weeks later:

_ We’re getting closer to Midgar, but it always seems so far away. I can’t believe every time I ask someone, when I’m brave enough to talk to the locals, what day or month it is. Kinda like my brain just can’t process the information because it’s so preoccupied with keeping us moving, keeping us safe, keeping us alive. _

_ We left that little motel last night before dawn, and I’m kicking myself for it. That was the first time in a long time I’ve been able to take a shower and sleep in a bed. It wasn’t even that nice a bed. To anyone else, it would probably feel like rocks, but I’ve slept on actual rocks and it hurts. Cloud even slept a little less fitfully, which is a change, because he’s usually pretty active in his sleep (funny enough). He mumbles and tosses and turns. None of it is coherent. He’s there, but...not? I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t even know if he’ll snap out of this stupor he’s in, to be honest. It scares me to think he could be trapped in there and fully aware of what’s going on. We don’t even know the full effects of mako poisoning on the mind. If we had stayed in that damn laboratory, Shinra might have found out. _

_ Anyway, I’m tired and a little cranky. Better try to get some sleep before we have to hit the road again. _

He remembered writing that particular letter, but the one he found at the bottom of the box from a few weeks later felt like he was reading something from a dream:

_ I’ve said this before, but we’re so close now I can see the city on the horizon. Looks like we’ll be roughin’ it under the stars again tonight. There’s been a lot of chatter about Turk sightings in town. Pretty sure I saw a military truck carrying MPs when that guy was giving us a ride in the back of his truck. He said we could sleep in this little shed thing behind his house and he would take us into the city tomorrow morning since he’s headed that way, anyway. _

_ It’s kind of crazy how long they’ve been after us at this point. You’d think they’d just give up, but no...I’ve run into Cissnei more times than I’ve wanted, but she’s actually been helpful and given us a head start. I guess that just means we’re worth a lot to them, that we’re more of a threat on the run than in their hands. That’s actually kind of scary, now that I think about it, especially seeing the extent to which they’ve followed us up to this point. Despite all that, my goal is still to get to the city, and it looks like we’ll be there sooner than later. _

_ Hopefully, once we get there, Cloud can actually rest. I mean really, truly rest. It’s taking a toll on him to have to be on the move so much, and he isn’t even aware of much from the looks of it. The poor guy has been through so much, so who can blame him? He wasn’t even a SOLDIER and he took out Sephiroth...I think. I didn’t see it happen, but I assume he did something when he came out of that reactor. It’s a wonder why he wasn’t able to make it through training, making me look pathetic like that. Oh well, mind over matter in some cases, right? _

_ Maybe once we get out of the chaos into a nice warm inn with some soft beds and good food, he’ll open up again. I might even be able to reach out to Aerith and —  _ Zack frowned at the way he had scratched out the last sentence, making it hard to read —  _ no, I can’t do that. I can’t get her involved in this. She would be in danger just knowing I made it out of Hojo’s lab. I can’t contact her. It’s too risky. One step at a time, Zack. Take it one step at a time. _

Zack set the paper down in the box, ran his hand over his face. He had to get back to Cloud, to check on him, make sure he was alright and that he had everything he needed. Zack quickly shut the box, shoved it back into the closet, and grabbed what he would need before heading out again.


End file.
